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Torah Portion -
Vaeschanan
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Written by d fine
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The fact that a vort is unpopular does not always mean it should go unsaid. This is one example. Towards the end of the serda (6;10-13), Moshe says that we will enter the land and live in nice cities and houses that we did not have to build ourselves. And then we should not forget HaShem. Moshe is telling us that a prime reason for forsaking HaShem is material wealth. In the words of Rabbeinu Chananel (chagigah 9b): 'It is revealed before HaShem that when we get increasilngly wealthy we kick out at Him, as it says (devarim 32;15) 'and Yeshurun got fat and kicked out.' And this is why the gemarra there says that HaShem looked at all the good middos to give to Bnei Yisrael and found nothing but poverty' - [because it causes us to rely on HaShem]. And so was the way of many righteous people ovr the ages (eg The Gra, Chofetz Chaim, and Rav Shalom Shwadron) who would openly daven to HaShem not to make them rich because of the dangers of forgetting HaShem amongst all material comforts. Nowadays it is an unpopular message, but we can at least take out the messages of 1) using wealth wisely and 2) keeping emunah and bitachon strong
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