פרשת דברים
'רב לכם סב את ההר הזה פנו לכם צפונה | דברים, ב', ג
Enough of your circling this mountain; turn yourselves northward
Moshe Rabbeinu commanded the Yidden to turn away from הר שעיר because this land was the inheritance of Esav.
Why was Esav deserving of such an inheritance?
Rabbeinu Yoel explains as follows: The Midrash relates that the Yidden originally intended to wage war against Seir, the descendants of Esav, and conquer their land. In response Hashem showed Moshe ‘this mountain’ – ההר הזה which is an illusion to Chevron, (ישעי' י"ד, י"ב) the burial place of the Avos, our forefathers. The message to the Yidden was to turn away and not do battle with Esav because of the exemplary manner in which he performed the mitzvah of כיבוד אב ואם – honoring his parents, who were buried “in this mountain”.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.