Vayeilech

The passuk states, “and I will get angry on that day… and extreme bad and tzaros will find him…and he will say on that day, ‘is it not because my G-d wasn’t with me that these occurred.’” Hashem says, “And I will hide My face…”  The meforshim are bothered, why will there still be hester panim after the person confesses that this all occurred because Hashem wasn’t with him?

The Ramban writes that the person did not declare a complete vidui, confession. There were only thoughts and remorse but not vidui gamur or teshuva shelaima. The Seforno offers another explanation: although he realizes this happened to him because Hashem wasn’t with him, he still doesn’t daven or do teshuva but rather turns to other gods for help.

The Gemara states that when Rav Yochanan read the passuk (21), “and it will be when extreme bad and tzaros will find him” he cried.  Rav Bergman wonders, why didn’t Rav Yochanan cry by all the pesukim in the tochacha where there were 98 klalos!? Also, we stated a very similar passuk above (17), “and extreme bad and tzaros will find him” that he didn’t cry. Why not?

Rav Bergman writes that throughout the tochacha it mentions Hashem Who is doing everything. Avi u’Mori pointed out that in the Parsha too, it states the Shemos of Hashem 26 times, which is actually the gematria of Shem Hashem. The person discussed in the first passuk is one who was hit and punished who realizes that it’s all coming from Hashem so there is the possibility of fixing himself. Also, it explicitly states “because My G-d wasn’t with me.” He can come back and do complete teshuva because he realized it’s from Hashem. However, in the latter passuk it doesn’t mention the realization of G-d causing it to happen. Rav Yochanan cried for such a person, because for one who doesn’t realize that the punishment comes from Hashem, there is no hope. If a person does notice the messages from Hashem and repents, then the punishment was really a sign from Hashem to the person to change his ways, and Hashem at times even rewards for improving his actions as by the metzora who knocks down his house and finds treasures!

May we recognize Hashem’s hashgacha and improve our ways to merit a gmar chasima tova!