By Rabbi Nosson Greenberg
The Gemara (Ksuvos, 111b) tells us in the name of Rav Chiya bar Yosef that at the time of the resurrection of the dead (t’chiyas hamaysim) those revivified will do so wearing clothes. The Ba’al Haturim uses the juxtaposition of two psukim in this week’s parsha as a hint to this phenomenon. The passuk says, (Devarim, 8, 3-4) “Ki al kol motzah fee Hashem yichyeh ha’adam” – “….Rather by everything that emanates from Hashem’s mouth does man live.” [This is telling us that man must realize that his physical sustenance is wholly provided by Hashem.] The next passuk continues “Simlasecha lo balsa mai’alecha...” “Your garment did not wear out from upon you..” [This is a reference to a miracle that took place during the forty years that the yidden were in the midbar, where their clothing were dry-cleaned and pressed by the “Clouds of Glory” that accompanied them on their travels, and those clothes never wore out.] Says the Ba’al Haturim: if you connect the last two words of the first passuk with the start of the next one, then it can be understood to mean that in future history there will be a time of yichyeh ha’adam – resurrection of the dead, and at that point simlasecha lo balsa mai’alecha – your garments will not have been worn out and destroyed by being in the soil for so long, rather your clothes will still be intact and wearable.
Perhaps we can add the following observation. These two psukim are read four times during Krias haTorah; at Mincha last Shabbos, this Monday and Thursday, and again this Shabbos morning. But you will notice that at the first three laynings the ba’al koreh stops after the words “yichyeh ha’adam”. At this point the aliyah of the Levi ends and a Yisroel is then called up. His portion begins with the words “Simlasecha lo balsa mai’alecha”. It is only on the Shabbos morning layning that there is no break between the two psukim [for the Kohen’s aliyah goes all the way until Shaini]. This suggests that the Ba’al Haturim’s vort really only works at the layning of Shabbos for there is no overt break, so then we can use the juxtaposition. But by the other three laynings of the week where two different people are called up to layn these psukim, this seems to disconnect them, thus not allowing for the Ba’al Haturim’s lesson.
The reason for this is as follows. According to the Talmud Yerushalmi (Megillah 4,1) the Shabbos morning kri’ah (as well as the kri’os of Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh and Chol Hamoed) was enacted by Moshe Rabainu, whereas the other three weekly laynings were enacted many years later by Ezra Hasofer (See Bava Kamma 82a for the Bavli’s opinion which differs greatly from the Yerushalmi’s). Moshe’s intent was that Klal Yisroel should connect to the Shabbos through the weekly layning. (see Igros Moshe O.C. volume 2, teshuva 8, who struggles to understand how our weekly laynings correspond to the message of Shabbos. Explaining how this might work is beyond the scope of this Dvar Torah) Ezra, however, made his enactments for other reasons. The Monday & Thursday enactment was to ensure that no yid go three days without learning/layning some Torah. And the Shabbos Mincha enactment was for the benefit of “Yoshvay k’ronos”. Rashi explains this refers to storekeepers who are too busy during the week to hear the Monday & Thursday layning, so an extra Shabbos layning was added for their benefit. In short, the motif of the Shabbos morning layning is to connect with Shabbos, whereas the other three are to prevent a lack of Torah learning.
The world to come is called Yom shekulo Shabbos, a type of everlasting Shabbos. The Shabbos that we experience every week represents that world (see Biur Halacha end of Siman 242). Therefore, the theme of Shabbos is highly compatible with the next world and the resurrection of the dead wearing clothes, and is thus fittingly hinted to at the layning of the parsha on the Shabbos morning. The other three laynings, however, are really an antithesis to the World to Come. Their theme is a stop-gap measure for a lack of connection to Torah, definitely not something we associate with Olam Haba. That is why the hinted reference to t’chiyas hamaysim is omitted during these laynings by pausing between the two psukim, stifling its juxtaposition.
Have a great Shabbos.
Rabbi Nosson Greenberg is rov of Khal Machzikei Torah of Far Rockaway, N.Y., and maggid shiur at Yeshiva of Far Rockaway.
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