July 25, 2026|י"א אב ה' אלפים תשפ"ו Vaeschanan 5786 - Every Little Bit Counts By Rabbi Beni Krohn

Every time we read the Torah, we end (Sefardim begin) with Hagbah. We lift the Torah for everyone to see, and as we do so, we say a pasuk in this week's parsha:

וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

"This is the Torah that Moshe placed in front of Bnei Yisrael."

It's a pasuk that makes a lot of sense to say when lifting the Torah and showing it to Bnei Yisrael.

What's interesting, though, is that if you look at the context of the pasuk, it comes in a surprising place. It comes immediately after we are told a story about a special mitzvah Moshe performs this week:

אָז יַבְדִּיל מֹשֶׁה שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן מִזְרְחָה שָׁמֶשׁ:

"Then Moshe separated three cities on the other side of the Jordan River."

This refers to the three Arei Miklat, cities of refuge, cities to which someone who committed negligent manslaughter can run, that Moshe prepared before his death.

And the question, of course, is what does this general declaration about the Torah, V'Zos HaTorah, have to do with this story about Moshe and the arei miklat?

To answer this question, I want to take you only a few psukim back. Moshe is continuing his pep talk to the people, preparing them for their imminent entry into Eretz Yisrael, and he warns them:

כִּי תוֹלִיד בָּנִים וּבְנֵי בָנִים וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּם בָּאָרֶץ וְהִשְׁחַתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם פֶּסֶל תְּמוּנַת כֹּל וַעֲשִׂיתֶם הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְהַכְעִיסוֹ:

"Right now, you are focused and ready to stay connected to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and His mitzvos, but when you have children and grandchildren, and you have been on the land for a while, you will become corrupt, and you will make idols and anger Hashem…"

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch notes that the language used to describe the length of time Bnei Yisrael will be in the land is "V'noshantem."

If the Torah wanted to say your stay in the land will get old, it could have used the word zakein, you will get old, but it doesn't say that. It says V'Noshantem, from the word yashan, which is not old as in the opposite of young, but rather old as in the opposite of new.

The warning Moshe is presenting is that over time your Yiddishkeit will become stale, or even sleepy, like the word yashein.

The warning that Moshe is offering to the people is that if you're not careful to consistently bring something fresh and new to your Jewish life, it can easily become stale, old, and rote. And once that happens, it's only so long before we begin to lose who we are and actually stray from the mitzvos themselves.

And so, Moshe then reminds the people that even if they stray, even if they lose that passion and fall off the wagon, they can do teshuva and Hashem will take them back.

But then, the very next story we are told is:

אָז יַבְדִּיל מֹשֶׁה שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן מִזְרְחָה שָׁמֶשׁ:

Right after teaching the people about the danger of allowing your Yiddishkeit to become stale and lifeless, we are told that Moshe went ahead and separated three cities of refuge.

What is this story really about?

Rashi notes something unique about this mitzvah in particular:

נתן לב להיות חרד לדבר שיבדילם. ואף על פי שאינן קולטות עד שיבדלו אותן שבארץ כנען, אמר משה מצוה שאפשר לקיימה אקיימנה:

It's clear from the story that Moshe was particularly excited to separate these cities. And that was surprising, says Rashi, because Moshe knew that in the end there were going to be six Arei Miklat, three on the side of the Jordan River he was on and three in Eretz Yisrael proper, a place into which Moshe already knew he would never be able to go. And more than that, the halacha was that none of the Arei Miklat would become functional until all six were set aside. Meaning, Moshe was beginning a mitzvah he knew he could never finish.

And, nevertheless, Moshe said to himself, "If there is a mitzvah to begin, I will begin it!"

The mefarshim also note that the language of az is the same word which is used to introduce Moshe's song to Hakadosh Baruch Hu at the Yam Suf, Az Yavdil Moshe and Az Yashir Moshe. The language of az connotes excitement, appreciation, and passion.

Why is this mitzvah found specifically here, after Moshe's warning to the people about not letting their lives as Jews become stale?

Because Moshe was not only warning the people about the danger of Jewish life becoming rote, he showed them the key to keeping one's religious life ablaze: by constantly searching out new avenues for growth, new mitzvos you've never explored before.

But he was doing something more. Because what is one of the greatest obstacles that prevents us from starting anything new? The worry that I won't be able to see it through! If I start Daf Yomi I'll never finish! If I start davening on a more consistent basis, at some point I'll mess up again.

And so, what mitzvah does Moshe use to show us that it's always worth it to give it a shot? That every effort to fulfill a new mitzvah is worth it? A mitzvah that Moshe Rabbeinu knew he could never finish!

And with this, we can answer our original question: why is the pasuk we read every time we read the Torah, and lift it to show every member of Klal Yisrael, V'Zos HaTorah Asher Sam Moshe?

Because the V'Zos, that which Moshe taught all of us, is that there is no mitzvah too small, no effort too short. Every small step in our avodas Hashem can make a huge impact. Because if we stop telling ourselves, "But I'll never finish" or "But I won't keep it up," and instead say, "I'll give it a shot today and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow," then there's no telling where it will lead.

Mercaz Daf Yomi, or MDY, with Reb Eli Stefansky is perhaps the most popular Daf Yomi shiur in the world, with over 30,000 people who participate daily.

But how did it start? It started because Reb Eli and a friend of his decided to start a Daf Yomi shiur, and they were able to recruit six other guys, so eight total people at the shiur, including Reb Eli.

So when do you think they started? At the beginning, right? Right after the Siyum HaShas? Not even close.

They had the idea in the middle of Maseches Avoda Zara, daf כח, daf 28. Right in the middle of the masechta!

Why did they start then? Because that was when they came up with the idea, and they knew that if they waited for a new masechta to start, by then the inspiration would fade, and maybe they would never start!

And Reb Eli himself always says: don't wait! If you're inspired to start something new - in learning, in davening, in chesed, with other mitzvos - don't wait for it to be the perfect time, the perfect masechta, the perfect situation. Just get going!

And what if eventually you'll stop? You'll worry about that then. For now, just get going!

As the Mishna tells us in Pirkei Avos:

משנה מסכת אבות פרק ב משנה טז

הוא היה אומר לא עליך המלאכה לגמור ולא אתה בן חורין ליבטל ממנה

"You don't have to finish the job, but you are not absolved from giving it your best shot."

This is the lesson Moshe Rabbeinu was teaching Klal Yisrael in his final days on earth: Zos HaTorah Asher Sam Moshe Lifnei Bnei Yisrael!

If you don't want to let Yiddishkeit become slow, stale, or even worse, then keep finding new ways to get involved with mitzvos. And if you're worried about what will happen in the future, think of Moshe Rabbeinu, who was elated about the opportunity to do half a mitzvah! Think about the lesson he taught when he was already 120 years old: don't wait, just get started!