Parshas כי תצא has in it a total of 74 מצוות, the most from any other Parsha in the תורה. The מדרש highlights, that the many מצוות listed in the פרשה can be described by the words of the פסוק in משלי,
כי לויית חן הן לראשך
They are an accompaniment of חן. And the מדרש continues,
לכל מקום שתלך המצוות מלוות אותך
Hashem’s מצוות accompany you wherever you go.
כי תבנה בית חדש, ועשית מעקה לגגך ,עשית לך דלת המצוות מלוות אותך, וכתבתם על מזוזות ביתך. אם לבשת כלים חדשים המצוות מלוות אותך שנאמר לא תלבש שעטנז.
The many מצוות listed in the Parsha are all there to give us the opportunity to fullfill Hashem’s will wherever we go.
One of the מצוות listed in the Parsha is השבת אבידה.
לא תראה את שור אחיך או שיו נידחים השב תשיבם לאחיך
The ספר ליקוטי הלכות explains the deeper meaning of this מצוה. Every item belonging to a person is there for the purpose of bringing its owner closer to the רבש”ע and his personal תיקון, by utilizing that particular item. And when an item goes missing, the owner’s chance of reaching his תיקון is lacking. As such, the תורה commands, השב תשיבם לאחיך, give it back so the rightful owner can utilize it as meant to. It’s only when the owner is מייאש that the item is no longer connected to its owner, that השבת אבידה no longer applies, as any תיקון the item was meant to bring, has already been achieved.
This Parsha is usually read at the begining of חודש אלול. In Shul one morning, I witnessed an interesting sight. At the end of שחרית a מתפלל picked up the שופר and attempted to blow it. Unfortunately, no sound emerged, other than the air of his mouth escaping. A 2nd מתפלל then lifted the שופר to his mouth, and a strong and powerful blast emerged. Both people blew, but only one got a sound. This story is a metaphor for אלול. For some, it’s a time of discomfort and stress, which they prefer to ignore. For others, though, אלול is a wonderful period of growth and connection to the רבש”ע. The same time period can be both a wasted period or an opportunity for connection, depending on how we choose to approach it. Needless to say, not utilizing these precious days of אלול properly is a missed opportunity, as the רבש”ע is closer and more approachable than the rest of the year. At the same time, the יצר הרע works extra hard to dissuade us from utilizing this special time for תשובה by convincing us that we’re too far and cannot possibly change , leading to giving up and not even attempting to tap into אלול. What can be done to counter the powerfully force of the יצר הרע?
The מצוה of השבת אבידה, as explained, can apply. We all belong to the רבש”ע. And even if we may be lost due to growing distant from Him, he was not מייאש from us, and still maintains that special connection of an owner towards his objects. And therefore, we have the obligation of השב תשיבם, to attempt to come back to Him. Hashem has not been מייאש Himself from כלל ישראל! And when we remind ourselves of this, it will be easier to push back against the Yetzer Hara’s claim of ,” It’s too late, you’ll never improve.” If our Master has not given up on us, it is certainly possible and doable to come closer to Him.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, told over by Rav Berel Wein זצ”ל. ” I went to visit Yad VShem, the famous Israeli Holocaust museum. One of the exhibits featured an audio, which read aloud names of the 6 million קדושים. The audio went on and on endlessly, stating the names, until it became too difficult to listen to. I exited the room, and then contemplated. From all the names read, my own name was not listed. I’m alive and well. And as such, I have an obligation to live my own life to its fullest, as I’m still needed here.”