Why are we here? This is not the philosophical, existential question…This is the question of galus. Jews have been asking themselves this question in one form or another throughout this exceedingly long galus. Sometimes we ask this question with the intonation of why have we been made to live in a place of suffering and oppression. Sometimes it’s the question of why we haven’t taken the necessary steps of returning to our promised home. Whichever the question, the answer is never simple, and that fact reflects the fact that being part of the Jewish people has never been simple.  

This question, however, is as essential to Jewish identity as our understanding of what it means to be part of Bnei Yisrael. It is alluded to the renaming of Yaakov to Yisrael and the interpretation of that name as “He who wrestles with Gd.” Our destiny was never a straight line. 

In this week’s parsha, Parshas Netzavim-Vayelech, there is the famous declaration of “Lo b’shamayim hee,” the statement that the Torah is not in Heaven, and Bnei Yisrael, who have yet again here accepted the yoke of Torah, cannot make an excuse that the Torah is inaccessible to them. Our forefathers earned the privilege of Torah, earned the essence of the mamleches kohanim (kingdom of priests) that we are to become, and, by this very fact, they, and we, are the keepers of Torah. It is up to us to make Torah alive in this world. Torah is ours to possess here and now.

What is interesting is that the next pasukim, Devarim 30:13-14, continue: “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?’ Rather, [this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.” 

For a nation in the desert about to enter the Promised Land, this statement must have seemed odd. What sea were they being warned of looking across? Perhaps if it had been said “Nor is it across the Midbar, the desert” there would be a clear allusion to Har Sinai. After all, they did just travel for years from that place; they know how grueling that journey can be. If one thinks of it as a reference to the Sea of Reeds, then this also does not really make sense. Bnei Yisrael was forced to cross the Yam Suf because they were trapped by the Mitzrim. One does not need to cross the Yam Suf to get from Israel to Egypt. 

“Across the Sea”, which some commentators understand as an allusion to the Atlantic Ocean while others think it is the Mediterranean, could, in its own way, be understood as an important vastness to the greatness of the exile to come. 

There are, of course, multiple places in the Torah where Hashem warns the people that they will not hold on to the land, just as they will not hold on to their dedication to Hashem’s ways. It must have been difficult for the people on the precipice of entering Eretz Yisrael to understand - after all, with the Shechina dwelling in the Promised Land among the people, why would they even consider the question of worrying about the law being that far away?

Predictions - which is, of course, the wrong word for the utterances of Hashem – can be comforting. Knowing that the behavior is not unexpected is not an excuse, but it can be a comfort. We all watch others make strong resolutions about what they will or won’t do and then predictably miss their targets. The same is true for Bnei Yisrael.

Our history is recorded in our past as that which will inevitably come to be. Indeed, Hashem even tells Moshe, in this week’s parsha, “For I know what plans they are devising even now, before I bring them into the land that I promised on oath” (Devarim 31:21). Bnei Yisrael’s path to the promised land has never been easy – not in the days of the avos or Moshe and not in the days of the shoftim and naviim, when we struggled against Canaanites and Pilishtim and more, and not in the modern era.

Why are we here? Some people will turn this question into an accusation – why are you there? – for those who still dwell in chutz l’aretz. The answer, however, is throughout the parsha. We have not yet stopped chasing after other deities – not, perhaps, you or you or you – but we as a people have not yet learned to settle ourselves, our whole selves, into our role and our mission. Therefore, we are all in galus, and we are all striving for the great teshuva that will return the Shechina to its dwelling place and our nation to its rightful glory. 

May it come speedily in our days!

Elul… It’s a complicated time of year. Here in the 21st century, most of us are very busy getting ready or jumping into the start of the school year – whether with our families or as teachers. Cities and communities around the northern hemisphere have a different pace, and in the great duality in which we live, it is not difficult to lose sight of Elul.

 “Ani l’dodi, v dodi li” – I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me. These powerful words of Shlomo Hamelech, one noted anagram of Elul, seem like a sweet, perhaps gentle, reminder of the relationship we are meant to have with Hashem. But, the truth is that the idea of a relationship with Hashem, of being Hashem’s beloved and making certain that Hashem is your beloved, is, dare I say it, challenging. Do God and I even speak the same language? I am needy, and Hashem is…everything! I make requests, and Hashem sends me what is best – even if I can’t understand it. Yet, having a relationship with Hashem is FUNDAMENTAL to being Jewish. 

 Interestingly, this idea is reflected in this week’s parsha, Parshas Ki Tavo. The third aliyah of the parsha is just 4 pasukim long:

“(16)This day, the Lord, your God, is commanding you to fulfill these statutes and ordinances, and you will observe and fulfill them with all your heart and with all your soul. (17) You have selected the Lord this day, to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to observe His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and to obey Him. (18) And the Lord has selected you this day to be His treasured people, as He spoke to you, and so that you shall observe all His commandments, (19) and to make you supreme, above all the nations that He made, [so that you will have] praise, a [distinguished] name and glory; and so that you will be a holy people to the Lord, your God, as He spoke.” (Devarim 26:16-19).

 The middle two verses note that “You” have selected Hashem and Hashem has selected “You.” There is a mutual choice, a two-sided desire to look toward the other – put in layman’s terms. That is the essence of a relationship – two sides seeking each other out. In this case, however, that interwoven relationship carries over into pasuk 19, when Hashem elevates the nation so that they can be holy. This shift, this elevation, is necessary in order for them to fulfil their role in the world. 

 But let us look more closely at the wording in these verses. In this translation, which is from the Chabad website, verses 17 and 18 use the term “selected,” but the Hebrew is actually far more interesting: Heh’emarta and Heh’emritech. This is not the typical root for the word “Chose” (a synonym of selected), which is bachar. Rather, it is a derivative of the word “Speak” – Amar. It is, according to Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsh, a unique usage of the word in the Hiphil form, and it “can mean nothing else than to cause somebody else to say something.”

 When translated thus, Rav Hirsh understood the pasukim to say: “You have brought it about, you have caused it to be said that He must be your God; and God has caused it to be said that you must be an עם סגולה to Him That is to say Israel’s solemn promise to God and God’s pledged Word to Israel has not remained, so to say, a private matter, it has become internationally known, a fact engraved in the mind of the world. Henceforth one designates God as ‘the God of the Jews’, and Israel as ‘the People of God’” (Translation from Sefaria).

 This section of Ki Tavo was isolated into its own aliyah, perhaps, because within itself there is such an important message. We must, of course, be constantly aware of our individual relationship with Hashem, but we must also be aware that our collective relationship with Hashem – as a united nation since the verses do have a singular grammatic structure – is not just between us and our God. It’s public. It has influence. It is beyond our selves. 

 When we celebrate our relationship with Hashem in Elul, we are moving forward toward the ultimate goal of crowning Hashem King on Rosh Hashana. We are coming to the place where we announce, where we loudly proclaim, Hashem is king, and in so doing we cause ourselves to be proclaimed, again, as His people.

 I wish you all a beautiful Shabbas and a meaningful Elul. 

 Parshas Shoftim: Don’t Jump to Conclusions

 Dedicated to a refuah shelaima for Yehudis bas Leah, Yona Yaakova bas Mina, Chana Zelda bat Gittel Yita, Mindel Batsheva bat Nechama Zelda, Chaya Sarah bas Esther Leah, Moshe Aaron ben Necha Itta, Binyamin ben Simcha, and Yaakov ben Esther Malka.

 Information – it is the currency of the age of the internet, and it’s something we all need to be incredibly careful with. It would be fair to say that now, more than ever, we can see how easily disinformation spreads into misinformation. For those unclear in the distinction, disinformation is deliberate, while misinformation unintentionally spreads falsehood or distortions. The corruption of information is happening currently on several global levels, but it is also constantly happening within our everyday societies. But it isn’t a new phenomena.

In this week’s parsha, Moshe warns the people against those who go to worship the deities of the people in the land, who would follow false gods or worship celestial bodies. These people, we learn in Devarim 17:5,are to be stoned to death. Stoning is particularly horrible death.

Of the many sins that are out there, serving avodah zara is in a category of its own. It is a betrayal of Hashem and everything the Jewish community is meant to stand for, and it damages the fabric of the community. However, it is also an act that often lacks concrete proof. Yes, the Torah here talks about offering an animal, but in Devarim yud-bet (12) the Torah records that the people may cook meat away from the Mishkan. How do I keep my Sunday barbeque from being mistaken as an offering? – ha ha. While that may be said with a humorous tone, we know from history, and from current times, how easily facts can be twisted and how readily one might come to do so against an “enemy.” Of this, Jewish law is very aware, and so Devarim 17:4 –  “and this is reported to you, and you hear it, and you investigate it thoroughly; and it is found to be true because the evidence agrees, establishing that this abomination has been committed in Israel;”

We don’t just take a report at face value. We don’t take the first word of someone coming and accusing. We hear it; we listen to the details to understand if there is weight to the words. One could, perhaps, add, that the hearing includes weighing the tone in which the accusation is made, understanding the nuances of neighbors. We receive the report and hear it, and we “investigate it thoroughly.”

The Torah is, as we mentioned, talking about avodah zarah, but the fact is that Devarim 17:4 is a pasuk that can stand alone and tells us how to live in this world. When you hear something about a neighbor, when you suspect something about a situation, or when you are told details about …well, in truth, about just about anything… it is your responsibility to investigate it fully. Don’t believe reports of evil, for reports can be distorted – even witnesses can be distorted, as we understand from Moshe’s exhortation here that there must be at least 2 witnesses for guilt to be established. This ensures some level of veracity and objectivity and that the report does not come from some sort of vendetta or ill will.

We have just entered the month of Elul, and there is less than a month until the great day of annual judgement comes. Now we must turn these ideas upon ourselves. As we approach the Yomim Noaraim, we begin to reflect upon our actions in the year that has passed – and often the things we declare and despair of are things we made great in our own mind. Now, at this auspicious time of the year, we report on ourselves to ourselves, and then we must take the opportunity to hear, to really listen, to our tainas (minor grudges) and transgressions. Now, here in the month of Elul, we must examine ourselves thoroughly, for good or for ill.

True cheshbon hanefesh, a self-accounting, requires this level of inquiry. The process of teshuva is not meant to be one of self-flagellation, of punishing oneself and making one feel like a terrible human being. The process of cheshbon hanefesh is meant to make us see the ways in which we need to improve. Teshuva, repentance, is incomplete unless it includes some level of change, even a small one, that will be a barrier to repeating the same aveira. One cannot complete this process if one is busy raking themselves over the coals, so to speak.

May this little Torah give you a zest for the needed work of Elul, and may you remember that just as one witness is not enough, you are not witness enough to condemn yourself. May we all merit to be successful in our teshuva, one step at a time. 

Good Shabbas

Due to the world’s most awesome mother-son roadtrip, I was unable to write a new Dvar Torah. The Dvar Torah below was originally posted on August 6, 2021. 

Parshas Re’eh: The Deeper Purpose of Shamor

 Dedicated to a refuah shelaima for Yehudis bas Leah, Yona Yaakova bas Mina, Chana Zelda bat Gittel Yita, Mindel Batsheva bat Nechama Zelda, Chaya Sarah bas Esther Leah, Moshe Aaron ben Necha Itta, Binyamin ben Simcha, and Yaakov ben Esther Malka.

Being an observant Jew requires vigilance. It requires constant consideration of one’s actions and whether those actions reflect the standards of Jewish law and the spirit of Torah morality. One of the most commonly repeated words of command in the Torah is the term shamor, which is translated most frequently as either guard or observe. The most famous usage of the term shamor is the mitzvah of Shabbas, as part of the duality of shamor v’zachor, guard and remember, in which the lo ta’aseh, the prohibitions of Shabbat that enforce “rest” are the means of guarding the holy day while the positive actions fulfill the instruction of remembering it.

Devarim 12:28, in parshas Re’eh, has a different, and rather interesting, pairing of the word shamor: “Shmor v’shamata es kol hadevarim haeleh…Guard and you shall hear all these commandments that I command you in order that it will go well for you and your children after you forever, because you will do what is good and what is right in the eyes of Hashem your God.”  Some commentators connect this statement solely to the section in which it is contained, to the discussion of the permission to eat [kosher] meat freely, the prohibition against eating blood, and the reminder that any animals designated for sacrifice must be brought upon the altar. However, the fact that the pasuk refers to kol hadevarim haeleh and that the verse promises that “it will be good for you and your children after you forever because you will do what is good and what is right in the eyes of Hashem your God” lead many commentators to see this as a separate statement – independent and pertaining to both mitzvos and the way in which one leads one’s life. The goal of guarding and hearkening to the mitzvos is to lead a life in which one does hatov v’hayashar, what is good and what is right.

According to the Tur HaAruch, Moshe used shmor v’shamata because “he wanted to include matters which go beyond legislated mode of behavior and which fall under the category of ‘do what is fair and good,’ to go beyond what is demanded of them in order to demonstrate that they act in the spirit of the Torah voluntarily and not under compulsion and threat of penalty” (Sefaria commentary translations). In order to live properly, one must do more than observe the mitzvos, one must observe the mitzvos in order to “hear” the deeper ways of the law, in order to find the spirit of the law that leads one to a moral, upstanding life.

The Ramban hints at this idea as well, saying that the verse is talking about more than static laws: “He [Moshe] did not mention here the statutes and ordinances, nor His testimonies and His commandments, but said all those words in order to include in this observance the good and the right” (ibid). Indeed, Rashi is even more specific in what is being discussed in this pasuk when he explains that “Hatov, what is good, refers to action that is proper in the eyes of the Heavenly Father, while hayashar, what is right, refers to an action that appears proper in the eyes of men” (ibid).

Let us step back a moment and reflect on shamor’s other famous pairing in order to gain a deeper understanding of how guarding leads to hearing and how they, together, lead to a good and upright life for all one’s generations. In the dual commandments of Shabbas, shamor v’zachor - guard and remember, zachor refers to all of the positive mitzvos of the day – to making kiddush and motzei, to lighting candles, and etc. These are the beautiful actions that fill our neshamos with joy, that are passed down from generation to generation with personal flourishes, but that also, all too often have faded away when not powered by shamor. Guarding the prohibited actions of Shabbas can, from the outside, seem fussy and difficult. One must understand, however, that in order to remember Shabbas, we must observe it, guard it. In order to pass on the beautiful tradition of candles and kiddush, one must guard the entire day. 

So too is the pairing of shmor v’shamata. In order to live a life that is good and proper, and to pass it on to one’s children, one must begin by guarding/observing the mitzvos. In so doing, one will then come to “hear” them, to understand the impact that they have on one’s life and to connect with them on a deeper level. For instance the mitzvos discussed in Devarim 15, which review the laws of shemitah as it pertains to loans, also delves into how one should treat the poor. Knowing that the Torah says “Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return the Lord your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings” (15:10), one can move beyond the letter of the law of giving without hesitation to creating organizations that seek out ways in which to give and to improve the lives of those in need. One mitzva explored, heard, understood…leads to more. It leads to bigger and better. It leads to leading an upright life.

The Ohr HaChaim points out about Devarim 12:28: “Our verse may also remind a person who is in the habit of fulfilling a particular commandment and is fully aware of what it entails not to say that he does not need to study this commandment. Moshe tells us that study even of commandments which we fulfil as a matter of routine is a separate mitzvah and is not to be neglected” (Sefaria). Shmor v’shamata is both a philosophical and a practical mitzvah. Just as we must always guard/observe the mitzvos of the Torah, so too must we always be seeking to understand the mitzvos and their impact on us, as well as the importance of using the mitzvos to lead a life that is truly hatov v’hayashar, what is good and what is right.

Have a beautiful Shabbas.

This week’s parsha, Parshas Eikev, like much of Devarim, presents Moshe telling Bnei Yisrael about the connection of their actions and their settlement in the Promised Land. Indeed, it opens: “If you will heed these ordinances and safeguard and perform them, Hashem, your God, will keep the covenant for you, as well as the kindness that He swore to your forefathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb; the fruit of your soil: your grain, your wine, and your oil; the offspring of your cattle and the choice of your flocks—in the land that He swore to your forefathers to give you” (Devarim 7:12-13).

Among the numerous places in the parsha where Moshe emphasizes this dynamic, there is an interesting word - chashak. In Devarim 10:15, Moshe says: “Only(yet) to your forefathers chashak Hashem, to love for them, and He chose their descendants after them; and he chose their seed – you(pl) – from all of the people, like this day.”  If you notice that the translation of chashak was skipped that is because it appears to be a word that does not truly translate. One source has it as “Hashem was drawn out,” while another source says that Hashem “desired.” A third source translates chashak as “had a delight.” The Rav Hirsh translation (1966) is “find pleasure,” although that is the translation of the German translation. 

None of these translations truly change the tone of the pasuk, and yet it makes one wonder what might be significant about this word. To explore that question, one must see in what other contexts the word is used. 

Moshe used chashak in a similar context in Devarim 7:7, when he told Bnei Yisrael: “It is not because you are the most numerous of peoples that Hashem grew attached to you and chose you—indeed, you are the smallest of peoples.” Then, as in this week’s pasuk, he goes on to tell them that Hashem was drawn to them, “because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers” (7:8). … There is an implication of Hashem loving Bnei Yisrael in a way that is not completely of His own volition. (Don’t stress, that is meant in a completely anthropomorphic way!) There is a sense that Hashem has resigned Himself to His love for us for the sake of our forefathers.

In fact, that sub-text is oddly supported by other places where this word is used:

Devarim 21:11 – “and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and - v’chashaktah - you desire her, you may take [her] for yourself as a wife.”

Bereishis 34:8 – “And Hamor spoke with them, saying, ‘My son Shechem his soul – chashaka - has a liking for your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife.’”

Strange, is it not? But let us think about it a little deeper. In both the story of Dina and the case of the aishes yafat to’ar, there is an implication that the love, the desire, is one directional. That it is almost out of their control. That’s important. That’s what Moshe needs Bnei Yisrael to understand - not the lack of control but the one-directionality of it.

When Moshe tells Bnei Yisrael in both places in Devarim that Hashem loves them, us, because of our forefathers, he is not just telling us that we have not earned Hashem’s love. That message comes out pretty loud and clear. He is telling us that the love of Hashem for us, and even for our forefathers, is something as yet unreciprocated. 

In us, as in our forefathers, Hashem does see something special, something unique. When Avraham Avinu recognized Hashem’s oneness, he ignited the existing spark of Divinity that rests in all who are Btzelem Elokim, and Bnei Yisrael will forever radiate that light ignited by Avraham… That light, that power to see the Divine in the world and bring it out, is our beauty. Our charm is our ability to have a relationship with Hashem – but it is nothing more than charm and beauty if we do not do the work. A relationship cannot be formed if it is one sided. 

The Torah is the path to meeting Hashem’s desire for us. It isn’t enough to just say “I love Hashem.” That is a superficial declaration. Rather, Hashem provided us with the mitzvos so we could come close to Him, so we could see and reflect His beauty. 

Having looked at the word chashak from Devarim 10:15, we have, perhaps, another layer of understanding of the next pasuk: “You must therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart and cease being stiff-necked” (10:16). Let go of the idea that you have somehow already merited Hashem’s love. You haven’t, but you can. And that is the message we can take from Devarim 10:15 - know that what Hashem wants most of all is for us to reciprocate His chashak.

Wishing you all a beautiful Shabbas. 

Parshas Va’Eschanan is always read on Shabbas Nachamu, the Shabbas after Tisha B’Av. It is the parsha that extols the connection of Hashem and Bnei Yisrael, which should reflect the deeper experience of Tisha B’Av. This is the time when we see Hashem in our pain, when we recognize that our tragedies are a reflection of our distance from Him, and that it is up to us to work on bringing ourselves closer so that Hashem can remove the cloud of hester panim, of His hiding Himself away. 

If we are honest with ourselves, we understand that the distance we experience today – the distance from Hashem and the distance from our own inner spirituality – is our own fault. Humanity has such a great desire to assert its independence and to challenge the status quote that we often break away from our spiritual core in our attempt to grasp it. We want proof of God and proof of our neshama because that is, many wrongfully believe, the only way we can understand the Divine. Somewhere deep within us, we have this notion that if we could just “see” the Divine then all of our problems would be solved, but, really, the solution lies in NOT seeing Hashem. 

Parshas Vaeschanan contains one of the core prayers of Jewish life: Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad. HEAR o’ Israel Hashem is our God, Hashem is One. Not See – Hear. The act of seeing is rooted in the physical. If I can see it, I don’t have to have faith since I have evidence. I don’t have to do any internal work to accept and understand.  Hearing, on the other hand, is an internal process. Sound enters our ears, so to speak, and reverberates throughout our being. They say that the eyes are windows to the soul, but you don’t enter through a window. The entry doors, then, are the ears – for they are responsible for hearing, for listening. 

Moshe understood the human desire for something physical. Afterall, he remembered the first generation’s reaction to his delayed return from Har Sinai, how they demanded that Aaron create the Golden Calf because they feared that they had lost Moshe, their physically visible connection to Hashem. And so Moshe says to the people gathered at the border of the Promised Land: “For your souls’ sakes, therefore, be most careful—since you saw no shape when Hashem spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire—” (Devarim 4:15) and reminds them of all the prohibitions of creating forms of avodah zarah. This is Moshe warning the people that they will never be able to make Hashem concrete because, as they experienced, He is so much vaster than the visible world.

Rabbeinu Bahya explains this pasuk as a statement of truth: “Seeing that you know clearly that you did not see any phenomenon, image, at the time when Hashem revealed Himself, you must take care in the future never to make such a likeness…”  (Translation from Sefaria). You must take care in the future not to believe that there can ever be such a likeness. A physical likeness of Hashem would be limiting, and Hashem is limitless. 

There is an interesting thing about the idea of hester panim, about the hidden face of Hashem. Panim is a plural word, always. Why? There are many responses to this question, but one such answer might be that a face is a reflection. People see in one another’s face mirrors of themselves. When we smile at someone, they most often smile back. When we like someone, they become beautiful. Our neshamos are reflections of Hashem. When Hashem hid His face from us, it also meant we lost something of ourselves, and that something, perhaps, is an understanding of our strength as spiritual creations. 

Noting how Devarim 4:15 refers to guarding nefshoseichem, your souls, Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsh draws attention back to the interconnectedness of the soul to the Divine. The emuna that we inherited from Avraham Avinu is not something one can assess in one’s physical DNA. There’s no chromosome. It’s a “mutation” so to speak, in one’s spiritual DNA. It’s a link through that which cannot be seen or touched. This, according to Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsh, can be learned from this pasuk:

“…Besides God, there is only one other being of whose individual reality and personal existence, although invisible and unable to be realised by any of our physical senses, each one of us bears within himself the direct certainty of conviction, and that is our soul, our נפש. It is that, therefore, which reflecting back on oneself makes one comprehend the real existence of something which is invisible and intangible, and by the certainty of the conviction of one’s own self comprehend the conviction of the existence of God. As sure as we are of the existence of our own self so are we of the existence of God.” (translation from Sefaria)

The self of spirituality exists on a plane that we cannot see and we cannot touch. The questioning of God leaves us with the question of how we each are who we are because “nature vs nurture” and gene predictions still can’t explain the whole. But if you are very quiet and you listen, you can start to understand that the very nature of humankind, the very nature of the world itself, is all one and that one is Hashem. This is the truth that we will see – yes, see – in the time of Beis Hamikdash, bmheira biyameinu. 

I wish you all a beautiful Shabbas.

Sefer Devarim begins with Moshe’s recounting of the journey of Bnei Yisrael after they received the Torah. It is interesting, however, that in the first perek of his recounting Moshe deliberates on two points: the creation of the system of judges and the reaction of the people during the reports of the scouts. The question, of course, is why these two items are so specifically detailed, and the answer might very well be because they demonstrate the contentious nature of Bnei Yisrael. 

 Sefer Devarim is understood to be both a review of the people’s history and a prophecy of all that will come to Israel. Integral to that future would be both our structured community order and, unfortunately, our penchant for questioning Hashem and getting ourselves in trouble. This latter trait, alas, has seen us, time and again, in the cross-hairs of Hashem’s ire, at a point where Hashem finds it necessary to bring forth all of the dire warnings we have been given in order to remind us of the role we accepted at Sinai. 

 When you look at Devarim as prophecy, the following pasukim stand out as having an interesting opportunity for interpretation:

 “Yet for all that, you have no faith in the Hashem your God, who goes before you on your journeys—to scout the place where you are to encamp—in fire by night and in cloud by day, in order to guide you on the route you are to follow. Upon hearing your loud complaint, Hashem became angry and vowed: Not one of those involved, this evil generation, shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers—" (Devarim 1:32-35).

 Moshe is speaking of a very specific incident and yet perhaps it could be understood as more. The place we are to encamp is our ultimate destination, the time when we achieve the status of a goy Kadosh and a mamleches kohanim. To reach that role, we must be able to truly recognize our dynamic relationship with Hashem. Sadly, however, like our ancestors, we often lack faith in Hashem and the future because we fail to recognize the fire by night or the cloud in the day; we fail to understand Hashem’s constant guidance as referenced by the fire and the cloud.

 The fire in the night represents – perhaps - those times that might be labeled difficult - in truth, tragic. Fire is hot and dangerous. Fire burns away the fringes. But think of a forest fire, a necessary act of nature so that the forest can grow back stronger and fresher. When we “have no faith in Hashem,” we fail to see that these challenges serve a purpose. It allows us to grow stronger.

 The cloud by day represents the good times, the times of success – the times when the Jewish people flourish and thrive – the day. Why then, you might ask, “a cloud”? In the good times, Hashem is also obscured. He hides behind a cloud so that we do not see Him directly; and He does so with good purpose. Hashem needs Bnei Yisrael to follow His path with absolute bechira, free will, and so He hides Himself away. But we, in our stubborn, human existence, fail to see beyond the cloud. 

 Thus it is that Moshe’s words in Devarim 1:32-33 describe the future – our present – in which the Jewish people (and yes this means both frum people and not frum people) lack in emuna. That lack, that inability to hold on to our faith in God (although, thank God, there are many exceptions) leads to the delay in the ultimate redemption, and thus reflecting Devarim 1:35: “Not one of those involved, this evil generation, shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers—”

 It’s hard, if you pay attention to what is going on in the world, not to find correlations. Hashem gave us the opportunity to return to the Promised Land, but now, as our enemies grow bolder – as lies permeate the news with the conviction of fact – there are Jews themselves that are digging a hole for our people. We have, Baruch Hashem, many Kalevs and Yehoshuas, many people who understand the incredible nature of Eretz Yisrael and the relationship of Bnei Yisrael with Hashem. But there are far too many around the world who believe the lies about themselves – and it is both terrifying and depressing to watch because all of our history is already laid out for us if we look in the Torah. 

 Right now, we seem to be approaching “night” and the fire seems to be getting hotter for Jews around the world. if there is one way to turn back the tidal wave of anti-Semitism, it is right here: Emuna. Belief – beyond belief. Not only must we embrace and strengthen our emunah, but we must use our emuna to fulfill the Torah. 

 (Please note, it is clear in the Torah that the pillar of fire and the cloud were matters of Divine protection. This Dar Torah is just looking at them metaphorically in light of the world today.)

 MAZAL TOV! Parshas Devarim is the anniversary of these Divrei Torah, the first of which “Eleh Devarim”, was published in 5778 (2018).  Here is the link – https://cthedawn.blogspot.com/2018/07/these-are-words.html - and it is terribly sad how similar the message is – and to think how far that date was from October 7th and the world we live in now!

 May Hashem Moshiach bmherya biyamenu. Have a beautiful Shabbas, which is a taste of the world to come.

In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Matos Masai, the thirty-third chapter of Sefer Vayikra provides a repetitively phrased detailing of the travelling of Bnei Yisrael. They traveled here. They travelled there. They travelled here. They travelled there, and so forth and so on. 

Not surprisingly, the great list of journeying begins in Mitzrayim: “They set out from Ramses in the first month…” However, rather than just recording the journey, as is done for most of the rest of the perek, the Torah includes some extra details: “It was on the morrow of the Pesach offering that Bnei Yisrael started out defiantly, in plain view of all the Egyptians. And the Egyptians were burstory. We all known the joke about Jewish hoying the dead that Hashem had struck down among them – every first born – whereby Hashem executed judgement on their gods” (Vayikra 33:3-4).

These details are fascinating because, if you think about it, these two brief, dare I say poetic, verses stated a truth about Jewish history. The Mitzrim are the protype of our oppressors throughout hilidays– they came to kill us, we won, let’s eat… well, except for the eating part. Remember, almost all of our great enemies are gone from the world, but we are still here. 

One of the hardest truths for we as people to understand is that every great oppression that we as a nation faced was purposeful. Let’s take a biblical step back to Bereishis. The oppression of Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim was not a twist of fate; it was divinely orchestrated. The Mitzrim, on a celestial level, were given a Divine role to help shape the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov by pressuring them – as promised to Avraham at the Bris Bein Habaturim. And the common question is: If Hashem told Avraham that the people would be oppressed, why were the Mitzrim punished in such a devastating way. The answer: they took it too far. And, really, it’s all there in the Torah.

If you think back to Shemos, the enslavement of the Israelites began with what could be seen as a logical concern. They were worried about a minority population taking power. Slavery seems like a terrible and drastic measure to us, but not 100% impossible to understand. This logical concern was the permitted oppression – the oppression that Hashem foretold to Avraham during the bris bein habaturim. However, Pharoah and his Egyptians found more and more reasons to be paranoid of the Jews. When Pharoah started ordering babies killed, this no longer had anything to do with the oppression Hashem needed Bnei Yisrael to go through. This was when they took the power Hashem had given them and abused it, and this is the reason that the Mitzrim eventually suffered so drastically that they could barely acknowledge Bnei Yisrael were leaving (as noted in our quoted pasukim, Vayikra 33:3-4). 

In an era like the one that appears to be unfolding before us now, the world keeps trying to point to a legitimate reason for their hatred. They point to Israel but attack all Jews because, really, anti-Semitism is the super-natural vehicle pushing Bnei Yisrael in the direction of redemption. And in such an era, we cannot lose sight of these verses: “…Bnei Yisrael started out defiantly, in plain view of all the Egyptians. And the Egyptians were burying the dead that Hashem had struck down among them…” It is an incredible reminder. This too shall pass, and we shall remove ourselves from our enemies in their clear view, but they will be too busy picking up the pieces to be able to witness the Divine hand. 

Those who have chosen to go beyond reason and logic in their hatred of the Jewish people will be struck down, and we, who have held fast to our faith, will walk out defiantly and in plain view. 

Am Yisrael Chai and Shabbat Shalom. 

The immediate thought when one sees a title like “Do You Stand Out” for Parshas Pinchas is that it is an obvious grab at a Dvar Torah. The parsha opens with Hashem publicly commending Pinchas for standing up for His honor. Pinchas’ actions, as the commentaries relay, could, with just a slight variance of moment, with a slight shift in intent, have been a crime. However, because his intentions were correct and his actions were done in just the right way, because his only thought was for Hashem, Pinchas became a Cohen with his brothers and Klal Yisrael learned what purposeful zealotry was. 

Pinchas, however, is not the only one who stands out in this parsha. One could almost call it a motif. For instance, here too is where five women -  Machlah, No’ah, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah – distinguish themselves in the Torah.  It is often mentioned how rare women are named in the Torah (although the genealogical recounting in Parshas Pinchas pauses, so to speak, to callout both Serach and Yocheved), and that reflects the true greatness of these 5 women because being named in the Torah with details – outside of a genealogical listing – represents significant action.

 Again, like Pinchas’ zealotry, this is a popular topic for divrei Torah. These women didn’t let convention stop them from approaching Moshe and asking for the right to inherit. And, again, like Pinchas, one can imagine that their actions when they first approached Moshe raised some eyebrows.

It is not just the fact that these were five women who approached Moshe – although that is not without its significance – it is the fact that they requested a change to Torah that had been delivered to them. It is interesting to note that there are only two examples (although I could be wrong) of Moshe being approached to change the law after it has been given. One is the request that led to Pesach Sheni, and the other is the request of the tribe Reuven and Gad to stay on the far side of Yarden. Having the courage to make a case for themselves is significant – all the more so, as with Tzelaphchad’s daughters and the men who asked for Pesach Sheni, when it is done l’shem shemayim. 

Their actions could, perhaps, be interpreted as acts of quiet zealotry.  While Pinchas had only moments to act, Tzelaphchad’s daughters received the law, processed it, and refused to accept that their family branch would be cut off from their inheritance in the Land of Israel. That last bit is the important part. The daughters’ concern was for a portion of the Promised Land, not gold or jewels or wealth. Their concern was to have their father’s household be equal in its elevation. 

This parsha contains the public acknowledgement of greatness of one other person: Yehoshua. Like Pinchas, Yehoshua’s significant actions are not recounted in this parsha. However, when Hashem tells Moshe that he will not enter the Promised Land and Moshe requests that Hashem appoint a leader, Hashem tells Moshe to take Yehoshua bin Nun, “asher ruach bo” – who has a spirit in him. 

What does the spirit mean? One idea is that it refers to the midrash of the yud added to his name before he entered the land of Canaan with the other scouts, how Moshe subtly changed his name to give him extra spiritual strength in the journey to come. This extra experience changes him and leads him to grow into the person best able to succeed Moshe. 

The fact is that the congregation did turn against them during the reporting of the spies, but they held their ground. And afterwards, they could have been looked at with aspersion for having brought havoc upon the people by contesting the majority. But that didn’t stop them.  In a piece on Parshas Shelach, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacs notes that having the ability to stand apart was not difficult for Calev as he had the natural spiritual courage inherited through his descendance from Yehuda. Yehoshua, however, had no such support. He had to work for it. In fact, Moshe even recognized that when he changed his name from Hoshua to Yehoshua. The name change, according to Rabbi Sacs, tells us something important. “Anyone who has experienced a name change has been inducted into a growth mindset.” That stayed with him, and Hashem here recognizes his significance.

Pinchas, Tzelaphchad’s daughters, and Yehoshua were all honored in the Torah because their actions, which could have been misconstrued or caused them to be derided by Klal Yisrael, were of pure intent. They are praised because they stood up for Hashem. 

It should, however, be noted, that the parsha also expands itself when it lists the names of Dasan and Aviram as the sons of Nemuel of the tribe of Reuven  (as well as Kozbi, the seductive Midianitess – not to leave out a wicked woman). Dasan and Aviram stood up for the wrong thing. They, the commentaries say, were the actual instigators more-so than Korach, and their deeds are repeated here. They stood up for the wrong thing and are so castigated.

Most people will not have the opportunity in their lives to stand out the way Pinchas, Tzelaphchad’s daughters, and Yehoshua did. Nevertheless, they are people we can – and must – use as role models. We must look to Pinchas to remember that it is important to call out what is wrong, but to do so in the proper way. We must look to Machlah, No’ah, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah to know that it is important to ask questions within the law because the Torah is a living law. We must look to Yehoshua to not stop at one great act but to ride forward on our spiritual strengths. Most of us may never rise to such true greatness, but we still need to find our own ways to stand out. 

Wishing you all a beautiful Shabbas

Parshas Chukat Balak: Unseen But Very Present

Dedicated to a refuah shelaima for Chana Zelda bat Gittel Yita,  Chaya Sarah bas Esther Leah, Moshe Aaron ben Necha Itta, Binyamin ben Simcha, and Yaakov ben Esther Malka. And L'ilui Neshama Masha Frayda bas Binyamin.

Let me start this week’s parasha piece of with a question: Do you feel puzzled, on some level, by the current surge in anti-semitism? Does it leave you, as it does me, with a desire to ask what exactly is going on in the universe? If you have any access to social media, you are too well versed in the irrational avalanche that is cascading against us. 

Here’s the thing about the world that is so fascinatingly brought out by this week’s parasha. What you think you know is going on in the world is only a particle of truth of what is going on in the world. Let me explain with a detour… Are you familiar with the not so trivial trivia question of which parsha does not contain the name of Moshe? The correct answer is Tetzaveh, but Parshas Balak comes awfully close. Moshe is mentioned in this Parsha (when not paired with Chukas) only 4 times, and those in Perek 25, which recounts the events after Balaam tried to curse Bnei Yisrael. 

Perhaps you think I did not explain my declaration concerning our complete ignorance of what is going on in the world. Well, in the entire three perakim that describe Bilaam’s hiring and his attempts to curse Bnei Yisrael, the term Israel is only mentioned 12 times – out of 81 verses (in 3 chapters). And each of those times is explaining either the view point of Bilaam or are part of his cursed blessings. 

What is missing in this entire section of the Torah is any indication of what Bnei Yisrael was experiencing at the time. Imagine, our forefathers were just pleasantly encamped, and, somewhere high above them, there is a powerful man shouting that which was meant to be a curse upon them. Imagine, our forefathers were going about their daily lives collecting manna, and, on a not-so-distant mountain, brachos – blessings – are being rained down upon them. And all the while they have no clue – zip, zero, nadda. There is no line in the Torah such as: “And Bnei Yisrael looked up from their tents and heard the words of Balaam,” Or …”saw their enemy above them.” Or even, in anyway knew who Balak or Balaam actually were at that point. There is no pasuk that speaks of Moshe trying to stop Balaam or asking Bnei Yisrael to daven that his words be reversed. 

Parshas Balak reflects a truth of the world. There is SO much more happening around us that we don’t see, so what we do see must always be understood as limited. 

Interestingly, one question that has been asked is why Balak was panicking. From a geopolitical standpoint, one could argue that he was panicking because Bnei Yisrael had just defeated the Emorites and the Bashonites, which is true - but the entire fighting came about as defensive action after the Israelites asked for permission to cross through their lands. Balak, however, is Moav, and Hashem had no intention of Moav being displaced. But all these events take place before Bnei Yisrael even get there. Balak’s narrative starts off with him and his people being in a panic over the Israelites – who haven’t done anything to them. 

Propaganda. False rumors. Fear mongering…. Panick and attack…and beyond all that are the orchestrations of Hashem. Sometimes, such as in Parshas Balak, our people come away unscathed (although real damage occurs in the aftermath), Other times, we face tremendous challenges, and we go through a terrible and difficult period of suffering and then growth. At all times, however, there is far more going on then we see. Above us, beyond us, away from us… curses are turned into blessings.

So may we see it soon. 

I wish you all a good Shabbas