The Truth About the Truth - Part 1

by Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro on behalf of the Sefas Tamim Foundation

I am grateful to the Sefas Tamim Foundation for giving me the opportunity, through a series of articles, to address the topic of Emes and Yashrus. We have tremendous gratitude to this organization for bringing a heightened awareness about these incredibly important Middos to Klal Yisrael. B’ezras Hashem, through the work of the Sefas Tamim Foundation, we should indeed become far more meticulous in these Middos.

The Possuk in Tehillim states (Tehillim 85): “Emes, MeiEretz Titzmach” - truth will sprout from the Earth. The Pupa Rav was once asked, that if truth is sprouting from the Earth, then it would appear that we should have it in abundance. That being the case, why isn't there more Emes in the world?

The Pupa Rav gave a powerful reply - that in order to grasp something that's sprouting from the Earth, a person has to bend down to reach it, and many people aren't willing to bend.

Many people are not willing to change. So yes, it is true that Emes, truthfulness, is going to sprout and be in abundance. However, to attain truthfulness, we have to work at it. We have to bend down to get it - we have to change.

My father, HaRav Mordechai Shapiro ZT’L used to say regarding Emes, that sometimes a person thinks that it was just a small thing which he said that was not totally Emes. It was only a little bit of Sheker. To that, my father would respond that Ivory soap advertises that it is 99.44% pure. He used to say that 99 and 44 hundredths pure is good for soap, but not for Emes, because something that is only 99.44% Emes is 100% Sheker.

My father would bring a fabulous gematria to intensify this concept. The gematria of the word Emes is 441. The gematria of the word Sheker is 600. If you subtract 441 from 600, you have 159, which is the exact gematria of the word Katan, a small thing. The difference between Emes and Sheker is Katan – often only a small thing.

Being meticulous to ensure that we do not mix even small amounts of Sheker in how we speak and act – having an acute sensitivity to 100% Emes, is really what the Sefas Tamim Foundation is accomplishing. We become more cognizant of small things - things that perhaps we were not so aware of, or sensitive to.

Many years ago, milk used to be delivered by a milkman, which as the name implies, is a person who would go door-to-door delivering milk. There was a Yid who felt that he could dilute the milk with water and deliver it to his customers, and hopefully, they would not taste the difference. By doing this, he now had more “milk” on hand, and would be able to increase his profits.

Unfortunately, after a while, someone in the milkman’s family took ill. The milkman went to the Rav and asked the Rav to daven for the choleh. The Rav asked if there is anything that the milkman could do to improve his ways. When the milkman confided in the Rav that he was diluting the milk that he delivered, the Rav immediately advised him to discontinue this practice, and commit to delivering 100% milk. Then, B’ezras Hashem, the family member would have a Refuah Shlaimah, a complete recovery.

The milkman listened to his Rav. He started to deliver 100% milk to all of his customers and Boruch Hashem, his family member recovered. However, the story does not end there. To his surprise, his customers complained, “What have you done to your milk! It tastes terrible!”

The milkman’s customers were so used to the diluted milk, that they could no longer appreciate the real thing. When a person is involved with Sheker - when a person is involved with things that are unscrupulous, they cannot even taste the Emes. Sometimes we think that we are speaking Emes, but we have diluted it with a little bit of Sheker that we think is inconsequential. However, when a person gets used to Sheker - when a person gets used to leading a life that is not 100% scrupulous and meticulously honest, they cannot even taste and appreciate Emes when presented with it! So how do we become more honest? In our next article, we will discuss how we can learn to bend - to change our ways - to grasp at the Emes that is sprouting from the Earth in abundance, as we discussed when we began our presentation.

The Sefas Tamim Foundation’s mission is to underscore the importance of living a life of 100% Emes through the learning of Halahca, Mussar, and Chizuk. For further information regarding the Sefas Tamim Foundation or to subscribe to its weekly newsletter, please contact Boruch Delman at 718-200-5462 or info@everydayemes.org.

The Truth About the Truth - Part 2

by Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro on behalf of the Sefas Tamim Foundation

I am grateful to the Sefas Tamim Foundation for giving me the opportunity, through a series of articles, to address the topic of Emes and Yashrus. We have tremendous gratitude to this organization, for bringing a heightened awareness about these incredibly important Middos to Klal Yisrael. B’ezras Hashem, through the work of the Sefas Tamim Foundation, we should indeed become far more meticulous in these Middos. In our last article, we discussed the importance of living a life of Emes, and the pitfalls of mixing even small parts of Sheker with Emes. In this week’s presentation, we discuss how to become an Ish Emes – a person of truth.

Becoming an Ish Emes is a very achievable, practical and pragmatic goal. The Possuk at the end of Parshas Yisro says: “V’lo Tsaleh B’maalos Al Mizbachi” – do not ascend the Mizbeach with stairs. Instead, the Torah instructs us to reach the Mizbeach via a ramp. My father, HaRav Mordechai Shapiro ZT’L relates a beautiful explanation of this command.

How is a step constructed? There is a part of the step that can be used to ascend or descend. There is also the middle, level part of the step - the platform part of the step. That platform part represents a person stagnating, remaining the same - without spiritual growth. My father explained the Possuk so beautifully. When each of us aspires to ascend our personal Mizbeach and to become a Ben or Bas Ailyah, we should not ascend in the fashion of a step. A step represents up, down, and level stagnation in the middle - the platform part of the step.

Build your personal Mizbeach with a ramp. A ramp represents incremental and consistent growth. With a ramp, there is no area to plateau, to stagnate, to remain the same. A ramp is the ultimate way we reach the top of our Mizbeach – improving gradually and continuously.

That is ultimately, how we become an Ish Emes!

The letters in the word “Yisrael” – Yud, Shin, Resh, Aleph, Lamed represent Yesh Shishim Ribui Asiyos L’Torah. There are 600,000 letters in the Torah, corresponding to the 600,000 Jewish Neshamos that were present at Har Sinai.

However, if you count the letters in the Torah, this is simply not accurate. There are approximately half that number - approximately 300,000 letters in the Torah. The Shefa Chaim, the Klausenberger Rebbe relates an inspiring explanation. We know that if two letters in the Sefer Torah touch each other, the Torah is not kosher. You must have a space between every letter. If you have 300,000 letters and they cannot touch each other, then you have 300,000 spaces. When you add up the letters and spaces you have a total of 600,000, which corresponds to the number of Neshamos in Klal Yisrael present at Har Sinai. Days in which we conduct ourselves with Emes and integrity, we are represented by a beautiful, shining Torah letter. On days in which we make mistakes, we may only be represented by a space in the Torah. The reality is, that this is the make-up of Klal Yisroel - each Yid has letters and spaces.

Although today we are represented by a space in the Torah, it does not mean that tomorrow we cannot change and become a shining Torah letter. Sometimes we go through periods when we feel that we have failed. Perhaps we are not behaving properly - not being exactly truthful to others or to ourselves. Today we are represented only by a space. B’ezras Hashem, today's space can be tomorrow's letter. We can improve.

The way to improve - to be more honest, as we ascend our personal Mizbeach – is to take gradual, consistent steps. Let us be more careful each day in choosing our words to ensure that they are truthful. We must keep every commitment we make.

When we reach the top of our respective ramps and attain our goals, acting with consistency and honesty, we can earn one of the highest accolades. We can achieve – “Tocho K’baro” a sincere honest person who is the same “Tocho” – on the inside, as “K’baro” as on the outside. We act consistently, with Emes and Yashrus, on the inside – internally in our homes and with our families, as we act on the outside - with our friends, community and in business.

The ‘inside’ letters of the word “Tocho” are Vav and Chof, with a gematria of 26. The ‘outside’ letters of the word “K’baro” are Chof and Vav, with a gematria of 26. The gematria of Hashem’s name (Yud Kei Vav Kei) is 26. To reach the lofty levels of honesty and sincerity inherent in “Tocho K’baro”, we must always be cognizant of Hashem’s presence when we are ‘inside’ and when we are ‘outside’!

When we internalize the concept that Hashem is always watching us, it compels us to act with honesty and integrity in every internal, private matter and every external, public situation.

In our next article, we will discuss how being honest and truthful can enhance Kovod Shamayim – the glory of Hashem and discuss our related obligations. The Sefas Tamim Foundation’s mission is to underscore the importance of living a life of 100% Emes through the learning of Halahca, Mussar, and Chizuk. For further information regarding the Sefas Tamim Foundation or to subscribe to its weekly newsletter, please contact Boruch Delman at 718-200-5462 or info@everydayemes.org.

The Truth About the Truth - Part 3

by Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro on behalf of the Sefas Tamim Foundation

I am grateful to the Sefas Tamim Foundation for giving me the opportunity, through a series of articles, to address the topic of Emes and Yashrus. In this final article of the series, we will discuss how honesty and truth enhance the glory of Hashem – “Kovod Shamayim”.

The possuk in Sh’mos tells us that when Moshe Rabbeinu approached the burning bush, he was told to remove his shoes, because he was standing on sacred soil – “Admas Kodesh”. The Ohr HaChaim Hakodeh asks, why Moshe was told to remove his shoes when he was already on the sacred soil. Shouldn’t Moshe have been told before he walked on the sacred soil?

Based on the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh we can answer powerfully, that the Torah is teaching us that it may not have been Admas Kodesh before Moshe stepped on to it. However, due to Moshe’s strong yearning to come closer to Hashem and bring glory to His name, Moshe himself transformed the ordinary ground into Admas Kodesh. Therefore, only now that it has been transformed into sacred soil, is Moshe required to take off his shoes.

We all have the potential to turn the mundane and the worldly into the holy and the spiritual. We must make sure, that everywhere we go and with everything that we do, we create Admas Kodesh. We create Admas Kodesh when we infuse our lives with 100% Emes and Yashrus.

The Gemara (Nedarim 81) tells us that one of the reasons that we lost Eretz Yisrael is that we abandoned the Torah. In what way did we abandon the Torah? The Gemara says “sh’ein mevorchin baTorah techila”- that we studied Torah without first making a Bracha before learning.

For what appears to be a relatively small oversight, did we deserve to lose Eretz Yisrael?

There are many explanations offered. I want to share with you an explanation from my father HaRav Mordechai Shapiro ZT’L - one of the most powerful thoughts that I have ever heard. To understand the explanation, we first need to answer another question. A person gets up in the morning and says Birchas HaTorah - the blessings that one is obligated to say before he learns Torah. However, after Birchas HaTorah, one may not always have time to sit down and learn because of his various family or professional obligations. Perhaps only much later in the day or in the evening, does he have the opportunity to learn. When he finally begins his seder of learning, why is he not required to say Birchas HaTorah again? Shouldn’t the time lapse between the original Birchas HaTorah and the time that he starts to learn be considered an interruption – a “Hefsek”?

The answer imparts a powerful message for us all. When we go to work and behave with honesty and integrity, and conduct our business affairs and finances appropriately, then that is part of learning Torah. In essence, if the person’s time between his Birchas HaTorah in the morning until the time he sits down at night to learn, has been spent living the Torah that he has learned - there is no interruption - no Hefsek. Therefore, one need not repeat Birchas HaTorah.

This explains the Gemara. We were not exiled from Eretz Yisrael because we didn’t make a Bracha beforehand. We were exiled “sh’ein mevorchin baTorah techila” because our "techila" -our original Birchas HaTorah said in the morning did not suffice - there was a Hefsek. We did not conduct ourselves during the day in our commerce and in our profession with truth and integrity, and therefore a Hefsek was created.

Our greatest accomplishment must be that our morning Birchas HaTorah lasts the entire day. Even when we are not in front of an actual Sefer, we must live our lives like a vibrant, thriving Sefer - with Emes and Yashrus. The word “Yosher” (an upright person) is spelled -“Yud”, “Vav”, “Shin”, “Raish”. The letters stand for “Yisgadal V’yiskadash Shmeah Rabbah.” – May His Great Name be Sanctified and Exalted. When we conduct ourselves with complete honesty and integrity, in accordance with the mission of the Sefas Tamim Foundation, when we exemplify a Yosher, we bring the greatest Bracha to this world and the greatest form of glory to Hashem – “Ribbui Kavod Shamayim”.

For more information on the Sefas Tamim Foundation and its mission of Emphasizing Everyday Emes, please contact Boruch Delman at 718-200-5462 or info@everydayemes.org.