Makos 16b
- While discussing the concept if a person is allowed to annul his vow made in public and with the consent of the public we mentioned an interesting story:
Rabbi Benyamin Cohen, Rosh Yeshiva in Melbourne Australia relates that he once walked into 770 and two older Chassidim (one was reb Mendel Futerfas) asked him to sit down with them to be part of a Beis Din in to order to annul a vow.
The famed Chossid Reb Bentze Shemtov got up in front of the Beis Din and told the following: upon his arrival to America he made a Neder that he would not walk into 770 without going first to the Mikvah. However it has since become very hard for him to continuing doing so because of his old age, therefore he is asking of the of the Beis Din to annul his vows.
And the Beis Din continued to ask the standard question, “If you would have known that you would come to such a stage would have you still made that Neder”?
To which he replied “NO” and with that they were Matir his Neder.
Interesting piece of history.
- Our Gemore discusses the Mitzvah of Peah – leaving the edge of a field for the poor. Peah is one the Mitzvas associated with harvesting ones fields directing him to leave some of the produce for the poor.
We discussed the Vort from the Beni Yissachar (See here English Hebrew) the founder of the Munkatch dynasty.
It is brought in Tosefta a story about a father who once forgot a bundle in the field, out of excitement that he was now able to be Mekayem the Mitzvah of Shik’cha, he told his son that he should bring him a cow to be Makriv a Korbon Olah.
The Bnei Yisschar asks, what is so significant regarding the Mitzvah of Shikcha that he felt that he had to bring a Korban?
He explains, all the Mitzvos in the Torah were given in a way that person has to have intent when he performs the Mitzvah. If a person does not have Kavanah when he does the Mitzvah according to many he was not Mekayem the Mitzvah.
The only Mitzvah in the Torah that a person can only perform without intent is the Mitzvah of shikcha. If a person intentionally left a bundle in the field he is not Mekayem the Mitzvah.
Why did the Torah command of such a awkward Mitzvah that can only be done only without intention?
Unfortunately, although we are commanded to have Kavanah for every Mitzvah, many times we do it without proper intention, we do it more in a way of “Hergel” routine.
This is why the Torah gave us the commandment of Shikcha, a Mitzvah that can only be performed without intention but nevertheless you are Mekayem this Mitzvah, it is through this Mitzvah that a person is “Maale’h” elevates all the other Mitzvos he did without Kavanah.
This is also why in the Torah by the Mitzvah of Shikcha it states: Hashem will bless you “Bechol Masseh Yadacha” (and not the usual “B’echol Asher Taaseh”) this is because through the Mitzvah of Shikcha you elevate all of your other Mitzvos.
And this is why by the Mitzvah of Shikcha the father brought a Korban Ola’h.
When he was Mekyem the Mitzvah of Shikcha he thought to himself that this must have happened in order for him to elevate all the Mitzvos he did without proper intention. Therefore he brought a Korban to atone for all the Mitzvos which were not done properly.