Parshas Vayeilech – Yom Kippur: 5786

“Assemble the people — the men, women, and children, including your converts…” (Devarim 31:12)

If all of Klal Yisrael needed to be at Hakhel, why detail all the different groups of people? The mishnah in Avos (5:1) says the world was created with ten maamaros (utterances). Why ten when one would’ve sufficed? Explains the Mishnah, in order to exact retribution from evildoers who destroy a world created with ten utterances of G-d, and to increase the reward to tzaddikim who uphold such a world. Still, why artificially multiply the punishment or reward? (Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, based on the Meor Einayim)

This past summer my inbox was inundated with pictures and clips of my sons’ camp activities. My youngest’s day camp sent multiple pictures and there were looong videos from my teen’s camp, plus daily prompts, reminders, and jokes that were probably funny in camp, but went over my head. Whatever happened to the good old once-a-week newsletter?

I went wading through the pictures, my kids fascinated with each one, telling me who was who, but I couldn’t keep track. I was just waiting for a picture of my own kid having fun. And of course, by the time we got to my son’s picture out of the thousands I viewed, the sun was in his eyes, and all I saw was a halo of light. But that’s how I view him always.

The maamaros make connection with Hashem possible to the widest range of people. If all of Creation had been telescoped into one maamar, very few people — perhaps one in a generation — could hope to attach themselves to it and use it as a platform to grow. The kedushah of this single maamar would be incredibly powerful, but inaccessible to most.

The ten maamaros form a graduated scale. Some are higher than others. Everyone, however, has an opportunity to latch on and draw closer to Hashem through the maamar that is closest to his spiritual station.

“Look! Ma, look!” Yitzi pointed excitedly. “That’s me there at the Kosel!”

I almost snorted. The picture was taken from above, and all it showed was hundreds of heads gathered at the Kosel. Go find Yitzi, sure!