The Blessing of Strength – and “Infertility Awareness Shabbat”

Parsht Vayakhel-Fekudei

by Rabbi Avi Billet

This week has a lot going on. Shabbos Chazak – we are finishing the book of Shemos. Shabbos Mevorchim – we are blessing the new month of Nissan, which begins on Sunday. Shabbos HaChodesh – we read the special reading of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem – which includes the instructions for the first mitzvah given to the Israelites in Egypt, to create a calendar, as well as many of the rules and instructions surrounding the first “Korban Pesach.” There is a 4th item as well, which will be addressed at the end. 

In many ways this weekend is symbolic of much renewal – the month of Nissan always takes place in the Springtime, and while in Florida it’s been Springtime since October, it is nevertheless a special time for the Jewish people. 

Three weeks ago I shared a message of finding the strength we need to overcome hurdles and the distraction that is Amalek. Two weeks ago I shared the Gemara in Brachos of four things which need Chizuk (strength, encouragement): תורה, ומעשים טובים, תפילה ודרך ארץ. 

 This week, as we finish the book of Shemos, specifically reading of the completion of the Mishkan and of God’s presence descending onto the Mishkan and ascending from it, we will proclaim חזק חזק ונתחזק (Strength, strength, we will be strengthened). What is the reason or source behind this practice? Since it is said at the end of each book, it is not specifically related to the context of the final passage of the Torah reading. 

There are three possible Biblical sources for such a declaration. 

1. Daniel 10:19 – We have the double word phrase חזק וחזק. “And he said, ‘Fear not, man of desirable qualities; peace be to you, be strong and be strong,’ and when he spoke to me, I gained strength, and I said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’” 

2. Shmuel II 10:12 – We have the phrase חזק ונתחזק – We will be strong and be strengthened, a phrase presented in the context of two armies of King David looking to back each other up in the face of military confrontation 

3. A number of places – חזק ואמץ – Be strong and courageous. It is used most famously in the transition of Yehoshua as leader taking over for Moshe, as both Moshe (in Bamidbar 27) and God (in Yehoshua 1) give him encouragement in filling the huge shoes of Moshe Rabbenu. 

The original format of the practice is mired in mystery and debate as to where or how it started. While the starting point is unclear, some of the historical tidbits include: 

Sefer HaManhig – In France and Provence the custom was for the Chazan to say to anyone who read from the Torah, the single word “חזק.” Based on a passage in Bereshit Rabba it became the practice to say חזק to the one who finished the Torah. (There it notes that when Yehoshua is told חזק ואמץ, and that “This Torah should not be removed from your mouth” it refers to a finished Torah.) 

The implication here is that the חזן is giving a blessing of strength to each reader (or Oleh) as in the same way we might say יישר כח. 

Rabbi Yissachar Tamar (Alei Tamar - Shviis Ch 4) adds that the message of חזק is as if the חזן is saying “You’ve finished your Mitzvah. You should merit to have the strength to complete other mitzvot.” He adds that the practice in Sefardic congregations is to say to everyone חזק וברוך. He wonders if this is a source that was somehow picked up and modified by Ashkenazic communities, in light of the verse in Daniel mentioned above. Elsewhere (Shabbos Ch 16) Rabbi Tamar raises the possibility that the source for the phrase is חזק ואמץ (#3 above) and that, based on a Tosefta, it is recited when the writing of a Torah is completed with the blessing of חזק being aimed at the writer, and the blessing of אמץ being aimed at the reader. 

All of this merely hints at a need for a kind of declaration. How it became חזק חזק ונתחזק is unclear. However, here are some reasons suggested for how the custom developed: 

Pri Chadash: “Torah challenges a person’s strength” plus the passage from Brachos noted above of the 4 things which need Chizuk, the first being Torah. Be strong with Torah (חזק) and have אמץ for good deeds. 

Responsa Be’er Moshe: the Talmud tells us (Yoma 72b) that וזאת התורה אשר שם משה – using a play on words, the Talmud says that if one merits, the Torah becomes a סם חיים (an elixir of life) but if one does not merit it becomes a סם מיתה (harbinger of death). We announce to the one who finishes an Aliyah, or the book of the Torah, that he should have strength that the Torah become a סם חיים for him. 

A suggestion given for why the phrase we say is in triple – חזק חזק ונתחזק is because the numerical value (gematria) of חזק (115) times 3 equals the numerical value of משה (345). 

One of the big debates surrounding the phrase is who is saying it to whom – meaning, to whom is the message of Chizuk (encouragement, support) truly directed? The jury is out on that one, so I imagine it is safe to say that it’s a message for the Oleh, the reader, and of course for the congregation. But it’s not just about blessing us all for strength when it comes to our Torah study and commitment to Torah, but a blessing of strength in all areas of life, especially in the arenas which need Chizuk – Torah, good deeds, prayer, and Derekh Eretz. 

One area that encompasses all of that Chizuk is what this Shabbos is dedicated to through Yesh Tikva’s Infertility Awareness Shabbat (YTIAS). “YTIAS” is aimed at raising awareness of and sensitivity towards infertility in our Jewish communities. This year, we, along with over 100 synagogues in North America, Australia and Israel, as well as Australia Jewish Fertility Network, Fruitful AZ, Gefen Fertility, Hadassah, I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, Jewish Fertility Foundation and Nishmat Yoatzot Halacha, are raising awareness, and together are looking to give a “voice” to those who experience what is very often a silent struggle. Yesh Tikva’s goal, and our goal, is to increase sensitivity towards our fellow Jews, especially family members, who dream of becoming parents or of having more children. 

In past iterations of this special weekend, a message shared from the pulpit was to give ourselves sensitivity training (a document was emailed to the congregation on Friday, from Yesh Tikva, giving pointers in how to do so). Those who have children should cherish the relationships we have with them. We are to remember that severed relationships between parents and children are also a form of parents not having children and vice versa. And of course a reminder that our shul has a number of members in the club no one wants to be in, those who have buried a child, whether as a child or as an adult, who thus suffer from a reverse of infertility – a permanent absence of someone who was born and lived a life which ended in the opposite direction of how it should be. Children (hopefully as seasoned adults!) are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. 

May this manifold Shabbos be a Shabbos of Blessing, of Renewal, of SpringTime, of Sensitivity, of Thinking beyond ourselves, of Seeing the pain others experience, of Being Kind above and beyond what we may think is needed. 

Because we never know what is going on unless we’re brought into the inner circle. 

May we all be blessed with strength. May our strength carry us and bring us to greater heights in our human relationships and in our personal relationship with the Almighty. Part of life is struggle, but that is the definition of being Am Yisrael. The name Yisrael means “you struggled with men and with God and you overcame.” May that be our blessing for all adversity we face.