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CHAZAK - RENEWING OUR STRENGTH WHEN WE FINISH THE TORAH
By: Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb When we finish reading Sefer Vayikra (Leviticus) this Shabbat, those present will rise for the last several verses and then call out “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek (be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened).” This happens five times a year, at the completion of the reading of each of the books of the Torah. This minhag (custom) is somewhat marginal (it’s not mentioned in most Siddurim) and indeed quite recent. Today it is common in Ashkenazik synagogues. In His first revelation to Joshua after the death of Moses, God says: “This book of Torah shall not depart out of thy mouth; thou shalt meditate therein day and night” (Joshua 1:8). The rabbis say that the emphasis, “sefer hatorah hazeh – this book of Torah” means that Joshua was actually holding the Torah at the time. This interpretation has several practical consequences. One is that the oleh laTorah, the person “called” to bless the Torah, is supposed to hold the etz chayim, the wooden pole on which the scroll is wrapped, when reciting the blessing. Also, there is evidence that in France in the 12-13th centuries it was customary for the Hazan to say “Hazak” in a loud voice to each who read from the Torah when he finished. It should be remembered that in many places it was still the custom for the “oleh laTorah” not only to recite the blessings but also read the portion himself. And the literature from the time bases this custom on the verse from Joshua and from the fact that in the next verse (1:9) God tells Joshua “Chazak v’ematz - Be strong and of good courage.” Thus we see a custom quite different from ours today – the word was said only once and it was done after each aliya on a regular basis, not reserved just for the completion of a book. Ironically, perhaps, the practice of noting the completion of each book of the Torah this way was first documented in Spain in the 14th century. Ashkenazik practice continued the other way, as is indicated in the gloss of R’ Moshe Isserles (the Ramah, Poland 16th century) to the Shulchan Aruch O”H 139:11. I say “ironically” because the practice today is more or less the reverse. Two things happened in the last several centuries. Despite the Ramah’s comment, the prevailing minhag in Ashkenazik synagogues is to say “Y'yashar kochacha (may your strength be kept upright)” to the person who had an aliya, not “chazak.” In Sephardic synagogues the custom is to say “chazak u’baruch” to each oleh, who then replies “chazak v’ematz,” sticking closer to the verses in Joshua. As for the moment of completion of each of the five books, the custom spread amongst Ashkenazim to stand up and say “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek.” Why the three-fold declaration, which is apparently first referred to by the Hatam Sofer (1760-1840)? First it can be noted that God repeated “chazak” to Joshua three times in that revelation (verses 6, 7, and 9). It has also been noted that in gematria (the numerical value of Hebrew letters), three times chazak (115) equals Moshe (345). But there seems to be deeper meaning here. The Torah is the source of life – ets hayim hee l’machazikim ba v’tomcheya m’ushar – it is a tree of life to those who grasp it and its supporters are contented (Proverbs 3:18). Yet on the other hand, Torah is a demanding, and not always easy, path in life. Torah “weakens the strength of a person” (perhaps meaning the Jewish people), the Talmud says (Sanhedrin 26b). It makes demands on our time and energy, it sometimes places us in conflict with values and temptations that contemporary life places before us. Torah provides moments of great pleasure, but also moments of pain and sacrifice. So the rabbis knew what they were saying when they said that Torah is one of the things for which we need chizuk (strength, fortification). And there is one more level – v’nitchazek, we say. Let us, we in the kahal, the community, be strengthened. That’s the simple meaning. But it can also refer mutually to the Torah – may we strengthen it as it strengthens us. We are the Torah’s “supporters;” if our grasp grows weak, the Torah can fall. This happened in the story of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6), and the results were literally fatal. If we forsake the Torah, it loses its strength and influence. May we, as we read each book, as we read each parsha, each aliya, draw strength from the Torah and give strength to it and to all of Am Yisrael. Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek! By Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, Director, The Conservative Yeshiva of the United Synagogue, Jerusalem Note - An excellent source about this subject is the Tshuva of Rabbi Nechama D. Goldberg, available on the website of the Rabbinical Assembly. 8
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