DEVARIM PARSHA
Devarim- דְּבָרִים
(פָּרָשָׁה, Parashah)
Moses Speaks to Israel (19th-century engraving
by Henri
Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux)
Devarim, D'varim, or Debarim (דְּבָרִים — Hebrew for
"things" or "words," the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 44th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the
annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the Book of Deuteronomy.
It comprises Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22. The parashah recounts
how Moses appointed chiefs, the episode
of the Twelve Spies,
encounters with the Edomites and Ammonites,
the conquest of Sihon and Og,
and the assignment of land for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.
The parashah is made up of 5,972 Hebrew letters,
1,548 Hebrew words, 105 verses,
and 197 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר
תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).[1] Jews generally
read it in July or August. It is always read on Shabbat Chazon,
the Sabbath just before Tisha B'Av.
Contents
o 1.1First reading —
Deuteronomy 1:1–10
o 1.2Second reading —
Deuteronomy 1:11–21
o 1.3Third reading —
Deuteronomy 1:22–38
o 1.4Fourth reading —
Deuteronomy 1:39–2:1
o 1.5Fifth reading —
Deuteronomy 2:2–30
o 1.6Sixth reading —
Deuteronomy 2:31–3:14
o 1.7Seventh reading
— Deuteronomy 3:15–22
o 1.8Readings
according to the triennial cycle
·
3Inner-Biblical
interpretation
·
4In classical
rabbinic interpretation
·
5In medieval
Jewish interpretation
o 7.2According to
Sefer ha-Chinuch
·
8Liturgy
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the
parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot. In the masoretic text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parashat Devarim has no
"open portion" (פתוחה, petuchah) divisions
(roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew
letter פ (peh)),
and thus can be considered one whole unit. Parashat Devarim has five
subdivisions, called "closed portions" (סתומה, setumah) (abbreviated
with the Hebrew letter ס (samekh)). The first closed portion spans
the first four readings, the fifth reading contains the next three closed
portions, and the final closed portion spans the sixth and seventh readings.[2]
Hebrew text of the first עליה
First reading —
Deuteronomy 1:1–10[edit]
.jpg)
Moses Addressed the Israelites (1984
illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing)
The first reading (עליה, aliyah) tells how, in
the 40th year after the Exodus from Egypt, Moses addressed the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan River, recounting the instructions
that God had
given them.[3] When the Israelites were
at Horeb — Mount Sinai — God told them that they had
stayed long enough at that mountain, and it was time for them to make their way
to the hill country of Canaan and take
possession of the land that
God swore to assign to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, and their heirs after them.[4]
Then Moses told the Israelites that he could not
bear the burden of their bickering alone, and thus directed them to pick
leaders from each tribe who were wise, discerning, and experienced.[5] The first reading ends
with Deuteronomy 1:10.[6]
Second reading —
Deuteronomy 1:11–21[edit]
In the second reading (עליה, aliyah), Moses
appointed the leaders as chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of
fifties, and chiefs of tens.[7] Moses charged the magistrates
to hear and decide disputes justly, treating alike Israelite and stranger, low
and high.[8] Moses directed them to bring
him any matter that was too difficult to decide.[9]
.jpg)
The Two Reports of the Spies (illustration from
Bible card published 1907 by Providence Lithograph Company)
The Israelites set out from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea,
and Moses told them that God had placed the land at their disposal and that
they should not fear, but take the land.[10] The second reading ends here.[11]
Third reading —
Deuteronomy 1:22–38[edit]
In the third reading (עליה, aliyah), the
Israelites had asked Moses to send men ahead to scout the land,[12] and he approved the plan,
selecting 12 men, one from each tribe.[13] The scouts came to the wadi
Eshcol, retrieved some of the fruit of the land, and
reported that it was a good land.[14] But the Israelites flouted
God's command and refused to go into the land, instead sulking in their tents about
reports of people stronger and taller than they and large cities with
sky-high walls.[15] Moses told them not to fear,
as God would go before them and would fight for them, just as God did in Egypt
and the wilderness.[16] When God heard the Israelites'
complaint, God became angry and vowed that not one of the men of that evil
generation would see the good land that God swore to their fathers,
except Caleb, whom God would give the land on which
he set foot, because he remained loyal to God.[17] Moses complained that because
of the people, God was incensed with Moses too, and told him that he would not
enter the land either.[18] God directed that Moses's
attendant Joshua would enter the land and allot it
to Israel.[19] The third reading ends here.[20]
Fourth reading —
Deuteronomy 1:39–2:1[edit]
In the fourth reading (עליה, aliyah), God continued
that the little ones — whom the Israelites said would be carried off — would
also enter and possess the land.[21] The Israelites replied that
now they would go up and fight, just as God commanded them, but God told Moses
to warn them not to, as God would not travel in their midst and they would be
routed by their enemies.[22] Moses told them, but they
would not listen, but flouted God's command and willfully marched into the hill
country.[23] Then the Amorites who lived in those hills came
out like so many bees and crushed the Israelites at Hormah in Seir.[24]
Satellite image of
the land east of the Jordan River — ancient Edom, Moab,
Ammon, and Gilead — present-day Jordan and vicinity
The Israelites remained at Kadesh a long time,
marched back into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds, and then skirted the hill
country of Seir a long time.[25] The fourth reading ends here,
with the end of the first closed portion (סתומה, setumah).[26]
Fifth reading —
Deuteronomy 2:2–30[edit]
In the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah), God then told
Moses that they had been skirting that hill country long enough and should now
turn north.[27] God instructed that the people
would be passing through the territory of their kinsmen, the descendants
of Esau in Seir, and that the Israelites
should be very careful not to provoke them and should purchase what food and water they
ate and drank, for God would not give the Israelites any of their land.[28] So the Israelites moved on,
away from the descendants of Esau, and marched on in the direction of the
wilderness of Moab.[29] The second closed portion (סתומה, setumah) ends in the
middle of Deuteronomy 2:8.[30]
God told Moses not to harass or provoke the
Moabites, for God would not give the Israelites any of their land, having
assigned it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.[31] The Israelites spent 38 years
traveling from Kadesh-barnea until they crossed the wadi Zered, and the whole generation of
warriors perished from the camp, as God had sworn.[32] Deuteronomy
2:16 concludes the third closed portion (סתומה, setumah).[33]
Then God told Moses that the Israelites would be
passing close to the Ammonites, but the Israelites should not harass or start a
fight with them, for God would not give the Israelites any part of the
Ammonites' land, having assigned it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.[34]
.jpg)
Og's bed (engraving circa 1770 by Johann
Balthasar Probst)
God instructed the Israelites to set out across
the wadi Arnon, to
attack Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and begin to occupy his land.[35] Moses sent messengers to King
Sihon with an offer of peace, asking for passage through his country, promising
to keep strictly to the highway, turning neither to the right nor the left, and
offering to purchase what food and water they would eat and drink.[36] But King Sihon refused to let
the Israelites pass through, because God had stiffened his will and hardened
his heart in
order to deliver him to the Israelites.[37] The fifth reading ends here,
with the end of the fourth closed portion (סתומה, setumah).[38]
Sixth reading —
Deuteronomy 2:31–3:14[edit]
In the sixth reading (עליה, aliyah), Sihon and his
men took the field against the Israelites at Jahaz, but God delivered him to
the Israelites, and the Israelites defeated him, captured and doomed all his
towns, leaving no survivor, retaining as booty only the cattle and the spoil.[39] From Aroer on
the edge of the Arnon valley to Gilead, not a town was too mighty for the Israelites;
God delivered everything to them.[40]
Apportionments to the tribes of Israel, with
those for Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to the east of the River Jordan
The Israelites made their way up the road
to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan and his men took
the field against them at Edrei, but God told Moses not to fear, as God would
deliver Og, his men, and his country to the Israelites to conquer as they had
conquered Sihon.[41] So God delivered King Og of
Bashan, his men, and his 60 towns into the Israelites' hands, and they left no
survivor.[42] Og was so big that his
iron bedstead was nine cubits long
and four cubits wide.[43]
Moses assigned land to the Reubenites, Gadites,
and half-tribe of Manasseh.[44] The sixth reading ends
with Deuteronomy 3:14.[45]
Seventh reading —
Deuteronomy 3:15–22[edit]
In the seventh reading (עליה, aliyah), Moses defined
the borders of the settlement east of the
Jordan, and charged the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
that even though they had already received their land, they needed to serve
as shock-troops at
the head of their Israelite kinsmen, leaving only their wives, children, and
livestock in the towns that Moses had assigned to them until God had granted
the Israelites their land west of the Jordan.[46]
Moses charged Joshua not to fear the kingdoms
west of the Jordan, for God would battle for him and would do to all those
kingdoms just as God had done to Sihon and Og.[47] The maftir (מפטיר) reading concludes the parashah with Deuteronomy
3:20–22, and Deuteronomy
3:22 concludes the fifth closed portion (סתומה, setumah).[48]
Readings according
to the triennial cycle[edit]
Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle read the parashah
according to the following schedule:[49]
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Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
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2020, 2023, 2026 . . . |
2021, 2024, 2027 . . . |
2022, 2025, 2028 . . . |
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2 |
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Maftir |
Ancient parallels[edit]
The parashah has parallels in these ancient
sources:
Deuteronomy
chapter 1[edit]
Moshe Weinfeld noted that the
instructions by Moses to the magistrates in Deuteronomy
1:16–17 were similar to those given by a 13th century BCE Hittite king to commanders of his border
guards. The Hittite king instructed: "If anyone brings a lawsuit . . . the
commander shall judge it properly . . . if the case is too big [= difficult] he
shall send it to the king. He should not decide it in favor of a superior . . .
nobody should take bribes. . . . Do whatever is right."[50]
In Deuteronomy
1:28, the spies reported that the Canaanites were taller than they
were. A 13th century BCE Egyptian text told that Bedouin in Canaan were 4 or 5 cubits (6
or 7½ feet) from nose to foot.[51]
Deuteronomy
chapter 2[edit]
Numbers
13:22 and 28 refer
to the "children of Anak" (יְלִדֵי הָעֲנָק, yelidei ha-anak), Numbers
13:33 refers to the "sons of Anak" (בְּנֵי עֲנָק, benei anak), and Deuteronomy
1:28, 2:10–11, 2:21,
and 9:2 refer to the "Anakim" (עֲנָקִים). John A. Wilson suggested that the Anakim may be related to the Iy-‘anaq geographic
region named in Middle Kingdom
Egyptian (19th to 18th century BCE) pottery bowls that had been
inscribed with the names of enemies and then shattered as a kind of curse.[52]
Dennis Pardee suggested that the Rephaim cited
in Deuteronomy 2:11, 20; 3:11, 13 (as
well as Genesis 14:5; 15:20)
may be related to a name in a 14th century BCE Ugaritic text.[53]
Inner-Biblical
interpretation[edit]
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in
these Biblical sources:[54]
Deuteronomy
chapter 1[edit]
The Book of Numbers ends in Numbers
36:13 with similar wording to the beginning of Deuteronomy
in Deuteronomy 1:1. Numbers
36:13 ends: "These are the commandments and the judgments
which the Lord commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the
plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho." Deuteronomy
1:1 begins: "These are the words which Moses spoke to all
Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite
Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab." The Pulpit Commentary taught that the wording
serves to distinguish the two books: The ending of Numbers indicates that what
precedes it is occupied chiefly with what God spoke to Moses, while the
beginning of Deuteronomy intimates that what follows is what Moses spoke to the
people. This characterizes Deuteronomy as "emphatically a book for the
people."[55]
Jethro and Moses (watercolor circa 1896–1902
by James Tissot)
Exodus 18:13–26 and Deuteronomy
1:9–18 both tell the story of appointment of judges.
Whereas in Deuteronomy 1:9–18, Moses implies that he
decided to distribute his duties, Exodus
18:13–24 makes clear that Jethro suggested the idea to Moses and
persuaded him of its merit. And Numbers
11:14–17 and Deuteronomy
1:9–12 both report the burden on Moses of leading the people.
Whereas in Deuteronomy 1:15, the solution is heads of
tribes, thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, in Numbers
11:16, the solution is 70 elders.
In Deuteronomy
1:10, Moses reported that God had multiplied the Israelites until
they were then as numerous as the stars. In Genesis 15:5,
God promised that Abraham’s descendants would as numerous as the stars of
heaven. Similarly, in Genesis
22:17, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would as numerous as
the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore. In Genesis
26:4, God reminded Isaac that God had promised Abraham that God
would make his heirs as numerous as the stars. In Genesis
32:13, Jacob reminded God that God had promised that Jacob’s
descendants would be as numerous as the sands. In Exodus
32:13, Moses reminded God that God had promised to make the
Patriarch’s descendants as numerous as the stars. In Deuteronomy
10:22, Moses reported that God had made the Israelites as numerous
as the stars. And Deuteronomy 28:62 foretold that the
Israelites would be reduced in number after having been as numerous as the
stars.
Numbers
13:1–14:45 and Deuteronomy
1:19–45 both tell the story of the Twelve Spies. Whereas Numbers
13:1–2 says that God told Moses to send men to spy out the land
of Canaan, in Deuteronomy 1:22–23, Moses recounted that all
the Israelites asked him to send men to search the land, and the idea pleased
him. Whereas Numbers 13:31–33 reports that the spies
spread an evil report that the Israelites were not able to go up against the
people of the land for they were stronger and taller than the Israelites,
in Deuteronomy 1:25, Moses recalled that the
spies brought back word that the land that God gave them was good.
Professor Patrick D. Miller, formerly of Princeton
Theological Seminary, saw the reassurance of Deuteronomy
1:29–30 echoed in Genesis
15:1–5 and 26:24 and Isaiah 41:8–16; 43:1–7;
and 44:1–5.[56]
Deuteronomy
chapter 2[edit]
Numbers
20:14–21, Deuteronomy
2:4–11 and Judges 11:17 each
report the Israelites' interaction with Edom and Moab. Numbers
20:14–21 and Judges
11:17 report that the Israelites sent messengers to the kings
of both countries asking for passage through their lands, and according to the
passage in Numbers the Israelites offered to trade with Edom, but both kings
declined to let the Israelites pass. Deuteronomy
2:6 reports that the Israelites were instructed to pay Edom for
food and drink.
Deuteronomy
chapter 3[edit]
The blessing of Moses for Gad in Deuteronomy
33:20–21 relates to the role of Gad in taking land east of the
Jordan in Numbers 32:1–36 and Deuteronomy
3:16–20. In Deuteronomy
33:20, Moses commended Gad's fierceness, saying that Gad dwelt as a
lioness and tore the arm and the head. Immediately thereafter, in Deuteronomy
33:21, Moses noted that Gad chose a first part of the land for
himself.
In classical
rabbinic interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources
from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:[57]
Deuteronomy
chapter 1[edit]
The Mishnah taught that when fulfilling the
commandment of Deuteronomy 31:12 to "assemble the
people . . . that they may hear . . . all the words of this law," the king
would start reading at Deuteronomy
1:1.[58]
The Tosefta read the words of Deuteronomy
1:1, “These are the words . . . ,” to teach that all these words —
the words of the written Torah and the words of the Oral Torah — were given by God so that
the one should open the chambers of one’s heart and allow into it the words of
both the House of Shammai and
the House of Hillel,
the words of those who declare unclean and the words of those who declare
clean. Thus even if some words of Torah may appear contradictory, one should
still learn Torah to try to understand God’s will.[59]
Worshiping the Golden Calf (illustration from a
Bible card published 1901 by the Providence Lithograph Company)
The Avot of Rabbi Natan read
the listing of places in Deuteronomy
1:1 to allude to how God tested the Israelites with ten trials
in the Wilderness, and they failed them all. The words "In the
wilderness" alludes to the Golden Calf, as Exodus 32:8}HE reports. "On the
plain" alludes to how they complained about not having water, as Exodus
17:3 reports. "Facing Suf" alludes to how they
rebelled at the Sea of Reeds (or some say to the idol that Micah made). Rabbi
Judah cited Psalms 106:7, "They rebelled at the Sea
of Reeds." "Between Paran" alludes to the Twelve Spies, as Numbers
13:3 says, "Moses sent them from the wilderness of
Paran." "And Tophel" alludes to the frivolous words (תפלות, tiphlot) they said
about the manna. "Lavan" alludes to Koraḥ's mutiny. "Ḥatzerot" alludes to the quails. And in Deuteronomy
9:22, it says, "At Tav'erah, and at Masah, and at Kivrot
HaTa'avah." And "Di-zahav" alludes to when Aaron said
to them: "Enough (דַּי, dai) of this golden
(זָהָב, zahav) sin that you
have committed with the Calf!" But Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov said it means
"Terrible enough (דַּי, dai) is this sin
that Israel was punished to last from now until the resurrection of the
dead."[60]
Similarly, the school of Rabbi Yannai interpreted the place name
Di-zahab (דִי זָהָב) in Deuteronomy
1:1 to refer to one of the Israelites' sins that Moses
recounted in the opening of his address. The school of Rabbi Yannai deduced
from the word Di-zahab that Moses spoke insolently towards heaven. The school
of Rabbi Yannai taught that Moses told God that it was because of the silver
and gold (זָהָב, zahav) that God
showered on the Israelites until they said "Enough" (דַּי, dai) that the
Israelites made the Golden Calf. They said in the school of Rabbi Yannai that a
lion does not roar with excitement over a basket of straw but over a basket of
meat. Rabbi Oshaia likened
it to the case of a man who had a lean but large-limbed cow. The man gave the
cow good feed to eat and the cow started kicking him. The man deduced that it
was feeding the cow good feed that caused the cow to kick him. Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba likened it to the case of
a man who had a son and bathed him, anointed him, gave him plenty to eat and
drink, hung a purse round his neck, and set him down at the door of a brothel.
How could the boy help sinning? Rav
Aha the son of Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Sheshet that this bears out the popular
saying that a full stomach leads to a bad impulse. As Hosea 13:6 says,
"When they were fed they became full, they were filled and their heart was
exalted; therefore they have forgotten Me."[61]
Jacob Blesses His Sons (engraving by Gerard
Jollain from the 1670 La Saincte Bible)
The Sifre read Deuteronomy
1:3–4 to indicate that Moses spoke to the Israelites in rebuke.
The Sifre taught that Moses rebuked them only when he approached death, and the
Sifre taught that Moses learned this lesson from Jacob, who admonished his sons
in Genesis 49 only when he neared death. The
Sifre cited four reasons why people do not admonish others until the admonisher
nears death: (1) so that the admonisher does not have to repeat the admonition,
(2) so that the one rebuked would not suffer undue shame from being seen again,
(3) so that the one rebuked would not bear ill will to the admonisher, and (4)
so that the one may depart from the other in peace, for admonition brings
peace. The Sifre cited as further examples of admonition near death: (1) when
Abraham reproved Abimelech in Genesis
21:25, (2) when Isaac reproved Abimelech, Ahuzzath, and Phicol in Genesis
26:27, (3) when Joshua admonished the Israelites in Joshua 24:15,
(4) when Samuel admonished the Israelites in 1 Samuel 12:34–35, and (5) when David admonished Solomon in 1 Kings 2:1.[62]
The Pirke De-Rabbi
Eliezer identified Og, king of Bashan, mentioned in Deuteronomy
1:4 and 3:1–13,
with Abraham’s servant Eliezer introduced
in Genesis 15:2 and with the unnamed steward
of Abraham’s household in Genesis
24:2. The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees,
all the magnates of the kingdom gave him gifts, and Nimrod gave Abraham Nimrod’s first-born
son Eliezer as a perpetual slave. After Eliezer had dealt kindly with Isaac by
securing Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife, he set Eliezer free, and God gave Eliezer
his reward in this world by raising him up to become a king — Og, king of
Bashan.[63]
Reading Deuteronomy
1:5, "Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses took upon
himself to expound (בֵּאֵר, be’er) this
law," the Gemara noted the use of the same word as in Deuteronomy
27:8 with regard to the commandment to erect the stones
on Mount Ebal, "And you shall write on the
stones all the words of this law clearly elucidated (בַּאֵר, ba’er)." The
Gemara reasoned through a verbal analogy that Moses also wrote down the Torah
on stones in the land of Moab and erected them there. The Gemara concluded that
there were thus three sets of stones so inscribed.[64]
A Midrash taught that Deuteronomy
1:7, Genesis 15:18, and Joshua
1:4 call the Euphrates "the Great River"
because it encompasses the Land of Israel. The Midrash noted that at the
creation of the world, the Euphrates was not designated "great." But
it is called "great" because it encompasses the Land of Israel,
which Deuteronomy 4:7 calls a "great
nation." As a popular saying said, the king's servant is a king, and thus
Scripture calls the Euphrates great because of its association with the great
nation of Israel.[65]
The Tabernacle
The Tosefta taught that just as the Israelites
were commanded to establish courts of justice in their towns (as Moses reported
in Deuteronomy 1:9–18) all children of Noah (that
is, all people) were admonished (as the first of seven Noahide laws)
to set up courts of justice.[66]
Rabbi Meir taught that when, as Exodus
39:43 reports, Moses saw all the work of the Tabernacle and the Priestly garments that
the Israelites had done, “Moses blessed them” with the blessing of Deuteronomy
1:11, saying, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a
thousand times so many more as you are, and bless you, as God has promised
you!”[67]
Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani, citing Rabbi Johanan,
noted that in Deuteronomy 1:13, God told Moses, "Get
you from each one of your tribes, wise men and understanding, and full of
knowledge," but in Deuteronomy
1:15, Moses reported, "So I took the heads of your tribes, wise
men and full of knowledge." Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani thus concluded that
Moses could not find men of "understanding" in his generation. In
contrast, Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani noted that 1 Chronicles 12:33 reports that "the children of Issachar . . . had understanding."
Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani noted that Genesis
30:27 reports that Jacob and Leah conceived
Issachar after "Leah went out to meet him, and said: ‘You must come to me,
for I have surely hired you.'" Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani thus concluded
that a woman who solicits her husband to perform the marital obligation, as
Leah did, will have children the like of whom did not exist even in the
generation of Moses.[68]
Rabbi Berekiah taught in the name
of Rabbi Hanina that
judges must possess seven qualities, and Deuteronomy
1:13 mentions three: They must be "wise men, and
understanding, and full of knowledge." And Exodus
18:21 enumerates the other four: "Moreover you shall
provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
unjust gain." Scripture does not state all seven qualities together to
teach that if people possessing all the seven qualities are not available, then
those possessing four are selected; if people possessing four qualities are not
available, then those possessing three are selected; and if even these are not
available, then those possessing one quality are selected, for as Proverbs
31:10 says, "A woman of valor who can find?"[69]
Arius asked Rabbi Jose what the difference is between
"wise" and "discerning" in Deuteronomy
1:13. Rabbi Jose answered that a wise person is like a rich
money-changer. When people bring coins to evaluate, the rich money-changer
evaluates them, and if people do not bring coins to evaluate, the rich
money-changer seeks out coins to evaluate. A discerning person is like a poor
money-changer. When people bring coins to evaluate, the poor money-changer
evaluates them, but if people do not bring coins to evaluate, the poor
money-changer sits and daydreams.[70]
The Sifre read the words "well-known to
your tribes" in Deuteronomy
1:13 to refer to men who were known to the people. The Sifre
taught that Moses told the people that if a candidate were wrapped in a cloak
and took a seat before Moses, he might not know from which tribe the candidate
came (or whether he was fit for the job). But the people would know him, for
they grew up with him.[70]
Rav Hisda taught that at first, officers
were appointed only from the Levites, for 2 Chronicles 19:11 says, "And the officers of the
Levites before you," but in Rav Hisda's time, officers were appointed only
from the Israelites, for it was said (paraphrasing Deuteronomy
1:13), "And officers over you shall come from the
majority" (that is, the Israelites).[71]
Interpreting Deuteronomy
1:15, the Rabbis taught in a Baraita that since the nation numbered
about 600,000 men, the chiefs of thousands amounted to 600; those of hundreds,
6,000; those of fifties, 12,000; and those of tens, 60,000. Hence they taught
that the number of officers in Israel totaled 78,600.[72]
Rabbi Johanan interpreted the words "And I
charged your judges at that time" in Deuteronomy
1:16 to teach that judges were to resort to the rod and the
lash with caution. Rabbi Haninah interpreted the words "hear the causes
between your brethren, and judge righteously" in Deuteronomy
1:16 to warn judges not to listen to the claims of litigants in
the absence of their opponents, and to warn litigants not to argue their cases
to the judge before their opponents have appeared. Resh Lakish interpreted the words
"judge righteously" in Deuteronomy
1:16 to teach judges to consider all the aspects of the case
before deciding. Rabbi Judah interpreted
the words "between your brethren" in Deuteronomy
1:16 to teach judges to make a scrupulous division of liability
between the lower and the upper parts of a house, and Rabbi Judah interpreted
the words "and the stranger that is with him" in Deuteronomy
1:16 to teach judges to make a scrupulous division of liability
even between a stove and an oven.[73]
Rabbi Eliezer the
Great taught that the Torah warns against wronging a stranger
in 36, or others say 46, places (including Deuteronomy
1:16).[74] The Gemara went on to
cite Rabbi Nathan's interpretation
of Exodus 22:20, "You shall neither wrong a
stranger, nor oppress him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,"
to teach that one must not taunt one's neighbor about a flaw that one has
oneself. The Gemara taught that thus a proverb says: If there is a case of
hanging in a person's family history, do not say to the person, "Hang up
this fish for me."[75]
A Judge Announcing Judgment (illustration circa
1890–1910 by Paul Hardy)
Rabbi Judah interpreted the words "you
shall not respect persons in judgment" in Deuteronomy
1:17 to teach judges not to favor their friends, and Rabbi
Eleazar interpreted the words to teach judges not to treat a litigant as a
stranger, even if the litigant was the judge's enemy.[76]
Resh Lakish interpreted the words "you
shall hear the small and the great alike" in Deuteronomy
1:17 to teach that a judge must treat a lawsuit involving the
smallest coin in circulation ("a mere perutah") as of the
same importance as one involving 2 million times the value ("a
hundred mina"). And the Gemara deduced from this rule that a
judge must hear cases in the order that they were brought, even if a case
involving a lesser value was brought first.[77]
Rabbi Hanan read the words "you shall not
be afraid of . . . any man" in Deuteronomy
1:17 to teach judges not to withhold any arguments out of
deference to the powerful.[77]
Resh Lakish (or others say Rabbi Judah ben
Lakish or Rabbi Joshua ben Lakish) read the words "you shall not be afraid
of the face of any man" in Deuteronomy
1:17 to teach that once a judge has heard a case and knows in
whose favor judgment inclines, the judge cannot withdraw from the case, even if
the judge must rule against the more powerful litigant. But before a judge has
heard a case, or even after so long as the judge does not yet know in whose
favor judgment inclines, the judge may withdraw from the case to avoid having
to rule against the more powerful litigant and suffer harassment from that
litigant.[78]
Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Jose the Galilean deduced from the words
"the judgment is God's" in Deuteronomy
1:17 that once litigants have brought a case to court, a judge
must not arbitrate a settlement, for a judge who arbitrates sins by deviating
from the requirements of God's Torah; rather, the judge must "let the law
cut through the mountain" (and thus even the most difficult case).[79]
Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Haninah read the words
"the judgment is God's" in Deuteronomy
1:17 to teach that God views the action of wicked judges
unjustly taking money away from one and giving it to another as an imposition
upon God, putting God to the trouble of returning the value to the rightful
owner. (Rashi interpreted that it was as though
the judge had taken the money from God.)[80]
Rabbi Haninah (or some say Rabbi Josiah) taught that Moses was punished
for his arrogance when he told the judges in Deuteronomy
1:17: "the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring
to me, and I will hear it." Rabbi Haninah said that Numbers
27:5 reports Moses's punishment, when Moses found himself
unable to decide the case of the daughters of
Zelophehad. Rav Nahman objected
to Rabbi Haninah's interpretation, noting that Moses did not say that he would
always have the answers, but merely that he would rule if he knew the answer or
seek instruction if he did not. Rav Nahman cited a Baraita to explain the case
of the daughters of Zelophehad: God had intended that Moses write the laws of
inheritance, but found the daughters of Zelophehad worthy to have the section
recorded on their account.[80]
Rabbi Eleazar,
on the authority of Rabbi Simlai, noted that Deuteronomy
1:16 says, "And I charged your judges at that time,"
while Deuteronomy 1:18 similarly says, "I
charged you [the Israelites] at that time." Rabbi Eleazar deduced
that Deuteronomy 1:18 meant to warn the
Congregation to revere their judges, and Deuteronomy
1:16 meant to warn the judges to be patient with the
Congregation. Rabbi Hanan (or some say Rabbi Shabatai) said that this meant
that judges must be as patient as Moses, who Numbers
11:12 reports acted "as the nursing father carries the
sucking child."[81]
Moses and the Messengers from Canaan (painting
circa 1621–1624 by Giovanni Lanfranco)
A Baraita taught that when hedonists multiplied,
justice became perverted, conduct deteriorated, and God found no satisfaction
in the world. When those who displayed partiality in judgment multiplied, the
command of Deuteronomy 1:17, "You shall not be
afraid of the face of any man," was discontinued; and the command of Deuteronomy
1:17, "You shall not respect persons in judgment," ceased
to be practiced; and people threw off the yoke of Heaven and placed upon
themselves the yoke of human beings. When those who whispered to judges (to
influence the judges in favor of one party) multiplied, the fierceness of
Divine anger increased against Israel, and the Divine Presence (Shechinah) departed, because, as Psalm 82:1 teaches,
"He judges among the judges" (that is, God abides only with honest
judges). When there multiplied people of whom Ezekiel 33:31 says,
"Their heart goes after their gain," there multiplied people who (in
the words of Isaiah 5:20) "call evil good, and good
evil." When there multiplied people who "call evil good, and good
evil," woes increased in the world.[82]
Resh Lakish interpreted the words "Send
you" in Numbers 13:2 to indicate that God gave
Moses discretion whether or not to send the spies. Resh Lakish read Moses'
recollection of the matter in Deuteronomy
1:23 that "the thing pleased me well" to mean that
sending the spies pleased Moses well but not God.[83]
Rabbi Ammi cited the spies' statement
in Deuteronomy 1:28 that the Canaanite
cities were "great and fortified up to heaven" to show that the Torah
sometimes exaggerated.[84]
Reading the words, "And how I bore you on
eagles' wings," in Exodus
19:4, the Mekhilta of
Rabbi Ishmael taught that eagles differ from all other birds because other
birds carry their young between their feet, being afraid of other birds flying
higher above them. Eagles, however, fear only people who might shoot arrows at
them from below. Eagles, therefore, prefer that the arrows hit them rather than
their children. The Mekhilta compared this to a man who walked on the road with
his son in front of him. If robbers, who might seek to capture his son, come
from in front, the man puts his son behind him. If a wolf comes from behind,
the man puts his son in front of him. If robbers come from in front and wolves
from behind, the man puts his son on his shoulders. As Deuteronomy
1:31 says, "You have seen how the Lord your God bore you,
as a man bears his son."[85]
.jpg)
Deuteronomy
1:44–2:7 in the Samaritan Torah (manuscript in the Cambridge
University Library)
The Mishnah taught that it was on Tisha B'Av
(just before which Jews read parashah Devarim) that God issued the decree
reported in Deuteronomy 1:35–36 that the generation
of the spies would not enter the Promised Land.[86]
Noting that in the incident of the spies, God
did not punish those below the age of 20 (see Numbers
14:29), whom Deuteronomy
1:39 described as "children that . . . have no knowledge
of good or evil," Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani taught in Rabbi Jonathan's name that God does not punish
people for the actions that they take in their first 20 years.[87]
The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau (1624
painting by Peter Paul Rubens)
Deuteronomy
chapter 2[edit]
Interpreting the words "You have circled
this mountain (הָר, har) long
enough" in Deuteronomy 2:3, Rabbi Haninah taught that
Esau paid great attention to his parent (horo), his father, whom he
supplied with meals, as Genesis
25:28 reports, "Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his
venison." Rabbi Samuel the son of Rabbi Gedaliah concluded that God
decided to reward Esau for this. When Jacob offered Esau gifts, Esau answered
Jacob in Genesis 33:9, "I have enough (רָב, rav); do not
trouble yourself." So God declared that with the same expression that Esau
thus paid respect to Jacob, God would command Jacob's descendants not to
trouble Esau's descendants, and thus God told the Israelites, "You have
circled . . . long enough (רַב, rav)."[88]
Rav Hiyya bar Abin said in Rabbi Johanan's name
that the words, "I have given Mount Seir to Esau for an inheritance,"
in Deuteronomy 2:5 establish that even
idolaters inherit from their parents under Biblical law. The Gemara reported a
challenge that perhaps Esau inherited because he was an apostate Jew. Rav Hiyya
bar Abin thus argued that the words, "I have given Ar to the children of
Lot as a heritage," in Deuteronomy
2:9 establish gentiles' right to inherit.[89]
Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, citing Rabbi Johanan,
taught that God rewards even polite speech. In Genesis
19:37, Lot's older daughter named her son Moab ("of my
father"), and so in Deuteronomy
2:9, God told Moses, "Be not at enmity with Moab, neither
contend with them in battle"; God forbade only war with the Moabites, but
the Israelites might harass them. In Genesis
19:38, in contrast, Lot's younger daughter named her son Ben-Ammi
(the less shameful "son of my people"), and so in Deuteronomy
2:19, God told Moses, "Harass them not, nor contend with
them"; the Israelites were not to harass the Ammonites at all.[90]
.jpg)
Ruth's Wise Choice (illustration from a Bible card
published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company)
Reading Deuteronomy
2:9, "And the Lord spoke to me, ‘Distress not the Moabites,
neither contend with them in battle,'" Ulla argued that it certainly could not
have entered the mind of Moses to wage war without God's authorization. So we
must deduce that Moses on his own reasoned that if in the case of the
Midianites who came only to assist the Moabites (in Numbers
22:4), God commanded (in Numbers
25:17), "Vex the Midianites and smite them," in the case
of the Moabites themselves, the same injunction should apply even more
strongly. But God told Moses that the idea that Moses had in his mind was not
the idea that God had in God's mind. For God was to bring two doves forth from
the Moabites and the Ammonites — Ruth the
Moabitess and Naamah the
Ammonitess.[91]
Even though in Deuteronomy
2:9 and 2:19,
God forbade the Israelites from occupying the territory of Ammon and
Moab, Rav Papa taught that the land of Ammon
and Moab that Sihon conquered (as reported in Numbers
21:26) became purified for acquisition by the Israelites through
Sihon's occupation of it (as discussed in Judges
11:13–23).[92]
Explaining why Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel said[93] that there never were in
Israel more joyous days than Tu B'Av (the fifteenth of Av)
and Yom Kippur, Rabbah bar bar Hanah said
in the name of Rabbi Johanan (or others say Rav Dimi bar Joseph said in the
name of Rav Nahman) that Tu B'Av was the day on which the generation of the
wilderness stopped dying out. For a Master deduced from the words, "So it
came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead . . . that the
Lord spoke to me," in Deuteronomy
2:16–17 that as long as the generation of the wilderness
continued to die out, God did not communicate with Moses, and only thereafter —
on Tu B'Av — did God resume that communication.[94] Thus God's address to Moses
in Numbers 20:6–8 (in which he instructed
Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water) may have been the first time
that God had spoken to Moses in 38 years.[95]
Citing Deuteronomy
2:24 and 26,
Rabbi Joshua of Siknin said in the name of Rabbi Levi that God agreed to
whatever Moses decided. For in Deuteronomy
2:24, God commanded Moses to make war on Sihon, but Moses did not do
so, but as Deuteronomy 2:26 reports, Moses instead
“sent messengers.” God told Moses that even though God had commanded Moses to
make war with Sihon and instead Moses began with peace, God would confirm
Moses’ decision and decree that in every war upon which Israel entered, Israel
must begin with an offer of peace, as Deuteronomy
20:10 says, “When you draw near to a city to fight against it,
then proclaim peace to it.”[96]
A Baraita deduced from Deuteronomy
2:25 that just as the sun stood still for Joshua in Joshua
10:13, so the sun stood still for Moses, as well. The Gemara (or
some say Rabbi Eleazar) explained that the identical circumstances could be
derived from the use of the identical expression "I will begin"
in Deuteronomy 2:25 and in Joshua
3:7. Rabbi Johanan (or some say Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani) taught
that this conclusion could be derived from the use of the identical word
"put" (tet) in Deuteronomy
2:25 and Joshua
10:11. And Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani (or some say Rabbi Johanan)
taught that this conclusion could be deduced from the words "the peoples
that are under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the report of you, shall
tremble, and be in anguish because of you" in Deuteronomy
2:25. Rabbi Samuel (or some say Rabbi Johanan) taught that the
peoples trembled and were in anguish because of Moses when the sun stood still
for him.[97]
The Conquest of the Amorites (watercolor circa
1896–1902 by James Tissot)
A Midrash interpreted the Israelites' encounter
with Sihon in Numbers 21:21–31 and Deuteronomy
2:24–3:10. Noting the report of Numbers
21:21–22 that "Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the
Amorites, saying: ‘Let me pass through your land,'" the Midrash taught
that the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon just as they had to Edom to inform
the Edomites that the Israelites would not cause Edom any damage. Noting the
report of Deuteronomy 2:28 that the Israelites
offered Sihon, "You shall sell me food for money . . . and give me water
for money," the Midrash noted that water is generally given away for free,
but the Israelites offered to pay for it. The Midrash noted that in Numbers
21:21, the Israelites offered, "We will go by the king's
highway," but in Deuteronomy
2:29, the Israelites admitted that they would go "until [they]
shall pass over the Jordan," thus admitting that they were going to
conquer Canaan. The Midrash compared the matter to a watchman who received
wages to watch a vineyard, and to whom a visitor came and asked the watchman to
go away so that the visitor could cut off the grapes from the vineyard. The
watchman replied that the sole reason that the watchman stood guard was because
of the visitor. The Midrash explained that the same was true of Sihon, as all
the kings of Canaan paid Sihon money from their taxes, since Sihon appointed
them as kings. The Midrash interpreted Psalm
135:11, which says, "Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of
Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan," to teach that Sihon and Og were
the equal of all the other kings of Canaan. So the Israelites asked Sihon to
let them pass through Sihon's land to conquer the kings of Canaan, and Sihon
replied that the sole reason that he was there was to protect the kings of
Canaan from the Israelites. Interpreting the words of Numbers
21:23, "and Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his
border; but Sihon gathered all his people together," the Midrash taught
that God brought this about designedly so as to deliver Sihon into the
Israelites' hands without trouble. The Midrash interpreted the words of Deuteronomy
3:2, "Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon,"
to say that if Heshbon had been full of mosquitoes, no person could have
conquered it, and if Sihon had been living in a plain, no person could have
prevailed over him. The Midrash taught that Sihon thus would have been
invincible, as he was powerful and dwelt in a fortified city. Interpreting the
words, "Who dwelt at Heshbon," the Midrash taught that had Sihon and
his armies remained in different towns, the Israelites would have worn
themselves out conquering them all. But God assembled them in one place to
deliver them into the Israelites' hands without trouble. In the same vein,
in Deuteronomy 2:31 God said, "Behold,
I have begun to deliver up Sihon . . . before you," and Numbers
21:23 says, "Sihon gathered all his people together,"
and Numbers 21:23 reports, "And Israel
took all these cities."[98]
Deuteronomy
chapter 3[edit]
A Midrash taught that according to some
authorities, Israel fought Sihon in the month of Elul,
celebrated the Festival in Tishri, and after the
Festival fought Og. The Midrash inferred this from the similarity of the
expression in Deuteronomy 16:7, "And you shall turn in
the morning, and go to your tents," which speaks of an act that was to
follow the celebration of a Festival, and the expression in Numbers
21:3, "and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and
all his people." The Midrash inferred that God assembled the Amorites to
deliver them into the Israelites' hands, as Numbers
21:34 says, "and the Lord said to Moses: ‘Fear him not;
for I have delivered him into your hand." The Midrash taught that Moses
was afraid, as he thought that perhaps the Israelites had committed a trespass
in the war against Sihon, or had soiled themselves by the commission of some
transgression. God reassured Moses that he need not fear, for the Israelites
had shown themselves perfectly righteous. The Midrash taught that there was not
a mighty man in the world more difficult to overcome than Og, as Deuteronomy
3:11 says, "only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant
of the Rephaim." The Midrash told that Og had been the only survivor of
the strong men whom Amraphel and his
colleagues had slain, as may be inferred from Genesis
14:5, which reports that Amraphel "smote the Rephaim in
Ashteroth-karnaim," and one may read Deuteronomy
3:1 to indicate that Og lived near Ashteroth. The Midrash
taught that Og was the refuse among the Rephaim, like a hard olive that escapes
being mashed in the olive press. The Midrash inferred this from Genesis
14:13, which reports that "there came one who had escaped, and
told Abram the Hebrew," and the Midrash
identified the man who had escaped as Og, as Deuteronomy
3:11 describes him as a remnant, saying, "only Og king of
Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim." The Midrash taught that Og
intended that Abram should go out and be killed. God rewarded Og for delivering
the message by allowing him to live all the years from Abraham to Moses, but
God collected Og's debt to God for his evil intention toward Abraham by causing
Og to fall by the hand of Abraham's descendants. On coming to make war with Og,
Moses was afraid, thinking that he was only 120 years old, while Og was more
than 500 years old, and if Og had not possessed some merit, he would not have
lived all those years. So God told Moses (in the words of Numbers
21:34), "fear him not; for I have delivered him into your
land," implying that Moses should slay Og with his own hand. The Midrash
noted that in Deuteronomy 3:2, God told Moses to "do to
him as you did to Sihon," and Deuteronomy
3:6 reports that the Israelites "utterly destroyed
them," but Deuteronomy 3:7 reports, "All the
cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves." The
Midrash concluded that the Israelites utterly destroyed the people so as not to
derive any benefit from them.[99]
Moses Names Joshua To Succeed Him (illustration
from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)
Rabbi Phinehas ben Yair taught that the 60
rams, 60 goats, and 60 lambs that Numbers
7:88 reports that the Israelites sacrificed as a
dedication-offering of the altar symbolized (among other things) the 60 cities
of the region of Argob that Deuteronomy
3:4 reports that the Israelites conquered.[100]
Abba Saul (or
some say Rabbi Johanan) told that once when pursuing a deer, he entered a giant
thighbone of a corpse and pursued the deer for three parasangs but reached neither the deer
nor the end of the thighbone. When he returned, he was told that it was the
thighbone of Og, King of Bashan, of whose extraordinary height Deuteronomy
3:11 reports.[101]
Moses Views the Promised Land (engraving by Gerard Jollain from
the 1670 La Saincte Bible)
A Midrash deduced from the words in Deuteronomy
3:11, "only Og king of Bashan remained . . . behold, his
bedstead . . . is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon?" that Og had
taken all the land of the children of Ammon. Thus there was no injustice when
Israel came and took the land away from Og.[102]
Noting that Deuteronomy
3:21 and 3:23 both
use the same expression "at that time" (בָּעֵת הַהִוא, ba'eit ha-hiv), a Midrash
deduced that the events of the two verses took place at the same time. Thus Rav
Huna taught that as soon as God told Moses to hand over his office to Joshua,
Moses immediately began to pray to be permitted to enter the Promised Land. The
Midrash compared Moses to a governor who could be sure that the king would
confirm whatever orders he gave so long as he retained his office. The governor
redeemed whomever he desired and imprisoned whomever he desired. But as soon as
the governor retired and another was appointed in his place, the gatekeeper
would not let him enter the king's palace. Similarly, as long as Moses remained
in office, he imprisoned whomever he desired and released whomever he desired,
but when he was relieved of his office and Joshua was appointed in his stead,
and he asked to be permitted to enter the Promised Land, God in Deuteronomy
3:26 denied his request.[103]
Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman taught that Moses first
incurred his fate to die in the wilderness, about which God told him in Deuteronomy
3:27, from his conduct at the Burning Bush, for there God tried for seven
days to persuade Moses to go on his errand to Egypt, as Exodus
4:10 says, “And Moses said to the Lord: ‘Oh Lord, I am not a
man of words, neither yesterday, nor the day before, nor since you have spoken
to your servant’” (which the Midrash interpreted to indicate seven days of
conversation). And in the end, Moses told God in Exodus
4:13, “Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send.” God
replied that God would keep this in store for Moses. Rabbi Berekiah in Rabbi
Levi's name and Rabbi Helbo give different answers on when God repaid Moses.
One said that all the seven days of the consecration of the priesthood in Leviticus
8, Moses functioned as High Priest, and he came to think that the
office belonged to him. But in the end, God told Moses that the job was not his,
but his brother’s, as Leviticus
9:1 says, “And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses
called Aaron.” The other taught that all the first seven days of Adar of
the fortieth year, Moses beseeched God to enter the Promised Land, but in the
end, God told him in Deuteronomy
3:27, “You shall not go over this Jordan.”[104]
In medieval Jewish
interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources:[105]
Zohar
Deuteronomy
chapter 1[edit]
In the Zohar,
Rabbi Jose expounded on Exodus
35:10: "And let every wise-hearted man among you come and
make all that the Lord has commanded." Rabbi Jose taught that when God
told Moses in Deuteronomy 1:13, "Get you wise men and
men of discernment," Moses searched all of Israel but did not find men of
discernment, and so in Deuteronomy
1:15, Moses said, "So I took the heads of your tribes, wise
men, and full of knowledge," without mentioning men of discernment. Rabbi
Jose deduced that the man of discernment (navan) is of a higher degree
than the wise man (hacham), for even a pupil who gives new ideas to a
teacher is called "wise." A wise man knows for himself as much as is
required, but the man of discernment apprehends the whole, knowing both his own
point of view and that of others. Exodus
35:10 uses the term "wise-hearted" because the heart
was seen to be the seat of wisdom. Rabbi Jose taught that the man of
discernment apprehends the lower world and the upper world, his own being and
the being of others.[106]
Moses Maimonides
Interpreting Deuteronomy
1:13 together with Exodus
18:21, Maimonides taught
that judges must be on the highest level of righteousness. An effort should be
made that they be white-haired, of impressive height, of dignified appearance,
and people who understand whispered matters and who understand many different
languages so that the court will not need to hear testimony from an
interpreter.[107] Maimonides taught that one
need not demand that a judge for a court of three possess all these qualities,
but a judge must, however, possess seven attributes: wisdom, humility, fear of
God, loathing for money, love for truth, being beloved by people at large, and
a good reputation. Maimonides cited Deuteronomy
1:13, “Men of wisdom and understanding,” for the requirement of
wisdom. Deuteronomy 1:13 continues, “Beloved by
your tribes,” which Maimonides read to refer to those who are appreciated by
people at large. Maimonides taught that what will make them beloved by people
is conducting themselves with a favorable eye and a humble spirit, being good
company, and speaking and conducting their business with people gently.
Maimonides read Exodus 18:21, “men of power,” to refer to
people who are mighty in their observance of the commandments, who are very
demanding of themselves, and who overcome their evil inclination until they
possess no unfavorable qualities, no trace of an unpleasant reputation, even
during their early adulthood, they were spoken of highly. Maimonides read Exodus
18:21, “men of power,” also to imply that they should have a
courageous heart to save the oppressed from the oppressor, as Exodus
2:17 reports, “And Moses arose and delivered them.” Maimonides
taught that just as Moses was humble, so, too, every judge should be
humble. Exodus 18:21 continues “God-fearing,”
which is clear. Exodus 18:21 mentions “men who hate
profit,” which Maimonides took to refer to people who do not become overly
concerned even about their own money; they do not pursue the accumulation of
money, for anyone who is overly concerned about wealth will ultimately be
overcome by want. Exodus 18:21 continues “men of truth,”
which Maimonides took to refer to people who pursue justice because of their
own inclination; they love truth, hate crime, and flee from all forms of
crookedness.[108]
Rashi
Deuteronomy
chapter 2[edit]
Reading God’s instruction in Deuteronomy
2:6 that the Israelites should buy food, Abraham ibn Ezra commented that this
would be only if the Edomites wanted to sell. Ibn Ezra noted that some
view Deuteronomy 2:6 as asking a question, for
Israel had no need for food and drink (having had manna daily).[109]
Nachmanides
Even though in Deuteronomy
2:24, God told Moses to "begin to possess" the land of
Sihon, nonetheless in Deuteronomy
2:26, Moses "sent messengers . . . to Sihon." Rashi
explained that even though God had not commanded Moses to call to Sihon in
peace, Moses learned to do so from what God did when God first was about to
give the Torah to Israel. God first took the Torah to Esau and Ishmael,
although it was clear to God that they would not accept it, because God wished
to begin with them in peace.[110] Nachmanides disagreed, concluding that
Moses sent messengers to Sihon before God instructed Moses to go to war with
Sihon.[111]
The Book of Deuteronomy, Debarim (Hebrew with
translation in Judo-Arabic, transcribed in Hebrew letters. From Livorno, 1894
CE. Moroccan Jewish Museum, Casablanca)
In modern
interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in these modern
sources:
Sagan
Deuteronomy
chapter 1[edit]
In Deuteronomy
1:10, Moses reported that God had multiplied the Israelites until
they were then as numerous as the stars. In Genesis
15:5, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous
as the stars of heaven. And in Genesis
22:17, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous
as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore. The astronomer Carl Sagan reported that there are more
stars in the universe than sands on all the beaches on the Earth.[112]
Plaut
The 20th century Reform Rabbi Gunther Plaut observed that in Deuteronomy
1:13, the people — not Moses, as recorded in Exodus
18:21 and 24–25 —
chose the officials who would share the tasks of leadership and dispute
resolution.[113] Jeffrey Tigay, Professor Emeritus at the University of
Pennsylvania, however, reasoned that although Moses selected the
appointees as recorded in Exodus
18:21 and 24–25,
he could not have acted without recommendations by the people, for the officers
would have numbered in the thousands (according to the Talmud, 78,600), and
Moses could not have known that many qualified people, especially as he had not
lived among the Israelites before the Exodus.[114] Professor Robert Alter of the University
of California, Berkeley, noted several differences between the
accounts in Deuteronomy 1 and Exodus
18, all of which he argued reflected the distinctive aims of
Deuteronomy. Jethro conceives the scheme in Exodus
18, but is not mentioned in Deuteronomy
1, and instead, the plan is entirely Moses's idea, as Deuteronomy is
the book of Moses. In Deuteronomy
1, Moses entrusts the choice of magistrates to the people, whereas
in Exodus 18, he implements Jethro's directive by
choosing the judges himself. In Exodus
18, the qualities to be sought in the judges are moral probity and
piety, whereas Deuteronomy 1 stresses intellectual
discernment.[115]
John Davenport (1670 painting in the Yale University
Art Gallery)
The 1639 Fundamental Agreement of the New Haven Colony reported that John Davenport,
a Puritan clergyman and co-founder of the
colony, declared to all the free planters forming the colony that Exodus
18:2, Deuteronomy 1:13, and Deuteronomy
17:15 described the kind of people who might best be trusted
with matters of government, and the people at the meeting assented without
opposition.[116]
Finkelstein
Deuteronomy
chapter 2[edit]
Archeologists Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University and Neil Asher Silberman noted
that Numbers 21:21–25; Deuteronomy
2:24–35; and 11:19–21 report
that the wandering Israelites battled at the city of Heshbon, capital of Sihon,
king of the Amorites, who tried to block the Israelites from passing through
his territory on their way to Canaan. Excavations at Tel Hesban south of Amman,
the location of ancient Heshbon, showed that there was no Late Bronze Age city, not even a small
village, there. And Finkelstein and Silberman noted that according to the
Bible, when the children of Israel moved along the Transjordanian plateau they
met and confronted resistance not only in Moab but also from the full-fledged
states of Edom and Ammon. Yet the archeological evidence indicates that the
Transjordan plateau was very sparsely inhabited in the Late Bronze Age, and
most parts of the region, including Edom, mentioned as a state ruled by a king,
were not even inhabited by a sedentary population at that time, and thus no
kings of Edom could have been there for the Israelites to meet. Finkelstein and
Silberman concluded that sites mentioned in the Exodus narrative were
unoccupied at the time they reportedly played a role in the events of the
Israelites wanderings in the wilderness, and thus a mass Exodus did not happen
at the time and in the manner described in the Bible.[117]
Commandments[edit]
According to
Maimonides[edit]
Maimonides cited verses in the parashah for
three negative commandments:[118]
·
That the judge not be afraid of a bad person when
judging[9]
·
Not to appoint as judge one who is not learned in the laws of the Torah,
even if the person is learned in other disciplines[9]
·
That warriors shall not fear their enemies nor be frightened of them in
battle[119]
According to Sefer
ha-Chinuch[edit]
According to Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are two negative
commandments in the parashah.[120]
·
Not to appoint any judge who is unlearned in the Torah, even if the
person is generally learned[9]
·
That a judge presiding at a trial should not fear any evil person[9]
Mount Hermon
Liturgy[edit]
Some Jews recite the blessing of fruitfulness
in Deuteronomy 1:10–11 among the verses of
blessing recited at the conclusion of the Sabbath.[121]
"Mount Lebanon . . . Siryon," another
name for Mount Hermon,
as Deuteronomy 3:9 explains, is reflected
in Psalm 29:6, which is in turn one of the six
Psalms recited at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service .[122]
The Weekly Maqam[edit]
In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardi Jews each week base the songs of
the services on the content of that week's parashah. For parashah Devarim,
Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Hijaz, the maqam that expresses mourning and sadness.
This maqam is appropriate not due to the content of the parashah, but because
this is the parashah that falls on the Shabbat prior to Tisha B'Av, the date that marks the
destruction of the Temples.
the haftarah for parashah Devarim
Haftarah[edit]
Devarim is always read on the final Shabbat of
Admonition, the Shabbat immediately prior to Tisha B'Av. That Shabbat is
called Shabbat Chazon, corresponding to the first word of the haftarah, which is Isaiah
1:1–27. Many communities chant the majority of this haftarah in the
mournful melody of the Book of Lamentations due
to the damning nature of the vision as well as its proximity to the saddest day
of the Hebrew calendar,
the holiday on which Lamentations is chanted.
Devarim Roundup
Moshe recalls
how he appointed judges to help him judge the people as it had been too hard
and time consuming to help the entire people all alone. He reminds the Jewish
people of their trips through the desert, of the spies they sent to the Holy
Land and of how they no longer wanted to move there after hearing their
negative report. And of how because of that, G‑d decreed that that entire
generation would pass away in the desert and not go into the Holy Land.
Moshe then reminds the people of other recent events such as
when the people of Moab and Ammon did not allow the Jewish people to pass
through their countries and about the wars they had to wage with the Sichon and Og,
the kings of the Emorites and Bashanites. This week's Torah portion ends with a
message from Moshe to Yehoshua, the next leader of the Jewish people who will be
the one to take them into the Holy Land; he tells him not to be afraid of the
enemies because G‑d will fight for
him.
Parshat
Devarim In-Depth
Deuteronomy
1:1-3:22
Parshah
Summary
These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on the
other side of the Jordan, in the desert, in the Aravah, opposite Suf, between
Paran and Tofel, Lavan, Chatzerot and Di-Zahav.
It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb
(Sinai) by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-Barnea.
It came to pass in the fortieth year,
in the eleventh month, on the fìrst day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to
all that G‑d had given him in commandment to them
—after he had slain Sichon the king of
the Emorite, who dwelt in Cheshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt at
Ashtarot in Edrei—
Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab,
Moses began to explain this Torah, saying:
The L‑rd our G‑d spoke to us in Horeb,
saying: “You have long enough stayed at this mountain.
“Turn away, and take your journey, and go
to the mountain of the Emorite, and to all the places near it: in the plain, in
the hills, in the lowland, in the Negev and by the seaside; to the land of the
Canaanites and the Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which G‑d
swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give to
them and to their seed after them.”
Moses
Delegates the Leadership of Israel
I spoke to you at that time, saying: “I
am not able to bear you alone.
“The L‑rd your G‑d has multiplied you,
and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven for multitude. (May the L‑rd,
the G‑d of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as you are, and
bless you, as he has promised you!)
“How can I alone bear your care, your
burden and your strife?
“Bring wise and understanding men,
known among your tribes, and I will place them at your head.”
You answered me, and said: “It is good,
this thing which you have spoken, to do.”
So I took the chief of your tribes,
wise men and known, and made them heads over you: captains over thousands,
captains over hundreds, captains over fifties and captains over tens, and
officers among your tribes.
I charged your judges at that time,
saying: “Hear the causes between your
brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the
stranger that is with him. Do not give anyone special recognition when rendering
judgment; hear the small as well as the great; fear no man; for the judgment is G‑d’s.
And the thing that is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.”
I commanded you at that time all the
things which you should do.
We departed from Horeb, and we went
through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way of the
mountain of the Emorite, as the L‑rd our G‑d commanded us; and we came to
Kadesh-Barnea.
I said to you: “You have come to the
mountain of the Emorite, which the L‑rd our G‑d gives to us. Behold, the L‑rd
your G‑d has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the L‑rd, the G‑d
of your fathers has said to you; fear not, nor be discouraged.”
You all approached me, and said:
"We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and
bring us back word by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall
come.”
The thing pleased me well; so I took
twelve men of you, one for a tribe. They turned and went up to the mountain,
and came to the wadi of Eshkol, and searched it out.
They took of the fruit of the land in
their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us back word, and said: It
is a good land which the L‑rd our G‑d gives us.
Yet you would not go up, but rebelled
against the commandment of the L‑rd your G‑d.
You murmured in your tents, and said:
"Because G‑d hates us, He has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt,
to deliver us into the hand of the Emori, to destroy us. Whither shall we go
up? Our brethren have made our heart faint, saying: The people are greater and
taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover
we have seen the sons of the giants there."
Then I said to you: "Dread not,
neither be afraid of them. The L‑rd your G‑d who goes before you, He shall
fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
and in the wilderness, where you have seen how that G‑d your G‑d carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way
that you went, until you came to this place!"
Yet in this thing you did not believe
the L‑rd your G‑d, who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to
pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go,
and in a cloud by day.
G‑d Decrees
that Moses' Generation Shall Not Enter the Land
And G‑d heard the voice of your words,
and was angry, and swore, saying: "Surely not one of these men of this
evil generation shall see that good land, which I swore to give to your
fathers. Save Caleb the son of Yefunne; he shall see it, and to him will I give
the land that he has trodden upon, and to his children, because he has wholly
followed G‑d."
Also with me was G‑d angry for your
sakes, saying: "You, too, shall not enter there.
"Rather, Joshua the son of Nun,
who stands before you, he shall go in there: encourage him: for he shall cause
Israel to inherit it.
"And your little ones, concerning
whom you said they should be a prey, and your children who in that day had no
knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there, and to them will I give it,
and they shall possess it.
"But as for you, turn, and take
your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Suf."
The Attempt
to Storm the Land
Then you answered and said to me:
"We have sinned against G‑d; we will go up and fight, according to all
that the L‑rd our G‑d commanded us." And you girded on every man his
weapons of war, and ventured to go up into the hill.
And G‑d said to me: "Say to them:
Neither go up, nor fight; for I am not among you; lest you be smitten before
your enemies."
So I spoke to you; and you would not
hear, but rebelled against the commandment of G‑d, and went presumptuously up
into the hill.
And the Emori, who dwelt in that
mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Se'ir,
as far as Horma.
And you returned and wept before G‑d;
but G‑d would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear to you. So you dwelled in
Kadesh many days, according to the days that you abode there. Then we turned,
and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Suf, as G‑d
spoke to me; and we went about mount Se'ir many days.
After Forty
Years in the Desert
G‑d spoke to me, saying: "You have
compassed this mountain long enough. Turn northwards.
"And command the people, saying:
You are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, who
dwell in Se'ir; and they shall be afraid of you: take good heed to yourselves.
Do not provoke them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as
a foot breadth; because I have given mount Se'ir to Esau for a possession.
"You shall buy food of them for
money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water of them for money, that
you may drink.
"For the L‑rd your G‑d has blessed
you in all the work of your hand; He knows your walking through this great
wilderness: these forty years the L‑rd your G‑d has been with you, you have
lacked nothing."
And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, who
dwelt in Se'ir, through the way of the Arava from Elat and from Etzyon-Gever,
we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
Bypassing
Moab
And G‑d said to me: "Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle,
for I will not give you of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar
to the children of Lot for a possession.
(The Emim dwelt there in times past, a
people great, and many, and tall, like the Anaqim; who also were considered
Refa'im as the Anaqim; but the Moabim call them Emim. The Horim also dwelt in
Se'ir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, and they destroyed
them from before them, and dwelt in their place; as Israel did to the land of
his possession, which G‑d gave to them.)
"Now rise up, and get you over the
wadi Zered." And we went over the wadi Zered.
And the days in which we came from
Kadesh-Barnea, until we were come over the wadi Zered, were thirty eight years;
until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host,
as G‑d swore to them. For indeed the hand of G‑d was against them, to destroy
them from among the host, until they were consumed. So it came to pass, when
all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people.
Bypassing
Ammon
And, that G‑d spoke to me, saying:
"You are to pass over through Ar, the border of Moab, this day.
"And when you come near, opposite
the children of Ammon, harass them not, nor contend with them; for I will not
give you of the land of the children of Ammon any possession, because I have
given it to the children of Lot for a possession.
(That also was considered a land of
Refa'im: Refa'im dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonim call them Zamzumim.
A people great, and many, and tall, like the Anaqim; but G‑d destroyed them
before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their place; as He did to
the children of Esau, who dwelt in Se'ir, when he destroyed the Horim from
before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead until this very
day. And the Avvim who dwelt in Hazerim, as far as 'Azza; Kaftorirn who came
from Kaftor, destroyed them and dwelt in their stead.)
War with the
Emori
"Rise up, take your journey, and
pass over the wadi Arnon; behold, I have given into your hand Sichon the
Emorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with
him in battle.
"This day will I begin to put the
dread of you and the fear of you upon the nations that are under the whole
heaven, who shall hear report of you, and shall tremble, and quake because of
you."
And I sent messengers out of the
wilderness of Kedemot to Sichon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying:
"Let me pass through your land: I
will go along by the high way, I will neither turn to the right hand nor to the
left. You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for
money, that I may drink: only I will pass through with those who follow me (as
the children of Esau who dwell in Se'ir, and the Moabim who dwell in Ar, did to
me) until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the L‑rd our G‑d
gives us."
But Sichon king of Heshbon would not
let us pass by him; for G‑d your G‑d hardened his spirit, and made his heart
obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as is apparent this day.
And G‑d said to me: "Behold, I have begun to give Sichon and his
land before you; begin to possess, that you may inherit his land."
Then Sichon came out against us, he and
all his people, to fight at Yahaz.
And the L‑rd our G‑d delivered him
before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. And we took all
his cities at that time, and devoted to destruction every city, the men, and
the women, and the little ones; we left none remaining; only the cattle we took
for a prey to ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.
From Aro'er, which is by the edge of
the wadi of Arnon, and from the city that is by the wadi, as far as Gilead,
there was not one city too strong for us: G‑d our G‑d delivered all to us:
Only to the land of the children of
Ammon you did not come, nor to any place of the torrent of Yabbok, nor to the
cities in the mountains, nor to whatever place G‑d our G‑d forbade us.
The Battle
at Bashan
Then we turned, and went up the way to
Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people,
to battle at Edre'i.
And G‑d said to me: "Fear him not; for I will deliver him, and all
his people, and his land, into your hand; and you shall do to him as you did to
Sichon king of the Emori, who dwelt at Heshbon."
So the L‑rd our G‑d delivered into our
hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people; and we smote him until
none was left to him remaining. And we took all his cities at that time, there
was not a city which we took not from them, sixty cities, all the region of
Argov, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fortified with high
walls, gates, and bars; besides unwalled towns a great many. And we devoted them
to destruction, as we did to Sichon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the
men, women, and children, of every city. But all the cattle, and the spoil of
the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.
And we took at that time out of the
hand of the two kings of the Emori the land that was on this side of the
Jordan, from the wadi of Arnon to mount Hermon; (which Hermon the Zidonim call
Siryon; and the Emori call it Senir;) all the cities of the plain, and all
Gilaad, and all Bashan, as far as Salkha and Edre'i, cities of the kingdom of
Og in Bashan.
For only Og king of Bashan remained of
the remnant of the Refa'im; behold, his bed is a bed of iron; is it not in
Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits is the length of it, and four
cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
Two and a
Half Tribes Receive the Lands East of the Jordan
And this land, which we possessed at
that time, from Aro'er, which is by the wadi Arnon, and half mount Gilaad, and
its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and to
the Gaddites.
And the rest of Gilaad, and all Bashan,
being the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Menasseh; all the region
of Argov, with all Bashan, which was called the land of Refa'im. Ya'ir the son
of Menasseh took all the country of Argov as far as the border of the Geshuri
and the Ma'akhati; and called them (that is the Bashan) after his name,
Havvot-Ya'ir, to this day. And I gave Gil'ad to Machìr.
And to the the Reubenites and to the
Gadites I gave from Gil'ad to the wadi Arnon, the middle of the wadi as a
border, as far as the torrent of Yabbok, which is the border of the children of
Ammon; the Arava also and the Jordan, as a border, from Kinneret as far as the
Sea of the Arava, even the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisga eastward.
And I commanded you at that time,
saying: "The L‑rd your G‑d has given you this land to possess it; [but
first you must] pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel,
all that are fit for the war. Only your wives, and your little ones, and your
cattle, (for I know that you have much cattle), shall abide in your cities
which I have given you. Until G‑d gives rest to your brethren, as well as to
you, and until they also possess the land which the L‑rd our G‑d has given them
beyond the Jordan; then shall you return every man to his possession, which I
have given you.
And I commanded Joshua at that time,
saying: "Your eyes have seen all that G‑d your G‑d has done to these two
kings; so shall G‑d do to all the kingdoms into which you will pass. You shall
not fear them: for the L‑rd your G‑d, He shall fight for you."
From Our Sages
These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on the other side of
the Jordan, in the desert, in the Aravah, opposite Suf, between Paran and
Tofel, and Lavan, and Chatzerot, and Di-Zahav (Deuteronomy 1:1)
According to the Sifri, the numerous place names listed here are not
landmarks indicating where Moses spoke these words—indeed, some of these places
do not even exist as geographical locations. Rather, these are words of rebuke
by Moses to the people of Israel. Instead of mentioning their sins outright, he
alluded to them with these place names:
“In the desert”—the time they complained: “If only we would have died in
the desert” (Exodus 17:3).
“In the Aravah (Plain)”—their worship
of Baal Peor in the Plains of Moab (Numbers 25).
“Opposite Suf”—the trouble they made at the shores of Yam Suf, the Red
Sea (see Exodus 14:11 and
Rashi on Exodus 15:22).
“Paran”—the sin of the spies, who were dispatched from Paran (as
recounted in Numbers 13 and later in our own Parshah).
“Tofel” and “Lavan” (meaning “libel” and “white”)—their libeling the
white manna (Numbers 21:5).
“Chatzerot”—where Korach’s mutiny against Moses
took place.
“Di-Zahav” (literally, “too much gold”)—the sin of the golden
calf.
(Sifri, Rashi, et al)
It would have been fitting that the
rebukes (in the Book of Deuteronomy) be pronounced by Balaam, and that the
blessings (in the Parshah of Balak) be said by Moses. . . . But
G‑d said: Let Moses, who loves them, rebuke them; and let Balaam, who hates
them, bless them.
(Yalkut Shimoni)
These are the words which Moses spoke
to all Israel (1:1)
It was only to the people of Israel that Moses spoke of their iniquities
and failings. To G‑d, Moses spoke only of the virtues of Israel, and justified
them no matter what they did.
(Chassidic saying)
It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb
by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-Barnea (1:2)
Moses said to them: see what you have caused! There is no shorter way
from Horeb (Mount Sinai) to Kadesh-Barnea than by the way of Mount Seir, and
even that is a journey of eleven days; nevertheless, you traversed it in three
days
—for on the 20th of Iyar they set forward from Horeb (Numbers 10:11) . . .
and on the 29th of Sivan they sent the spies from Kadesh-Barnea (Talmud, Taanit
29a); deduct from this period the 30 days they spent at the “Graves of Lust,”
where they ate meat for a “month of days” (Numbers 11:20), and the seven days
they spent at Chatzerot for the seclusion of Miriam there (ibid. 12:15–16);
consequently, they traveled that entire way in three days—
So much did the Divine Presence trouble itself for your sake to hasten
your entry into the Land! And because you acted corruptly [in the incident of
the spies], you were kept going round Mount Seir for forty years.
(Rashi)
Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab,
Moses began to explain this Torah (1:5)
He translated it
for them into seventy languages.
(Rashi)
G‑d spoke to us in Horeb, saying: “You
have long enough stayed at this mountain. Turn away, and take your
journey . . .” (1:6–7)
The mountain we’re talking about is Mount Sinai, scene of the most
monumental event in human history: G‑d’s revelation of His wisdom and will to
man. Still, G‑d says: “You’ve been hanging around this mountain long enough.
Move on!”
In our lives we also have moments, days or years of revelation, times
when we learn and grow and are enriched. But the purpose must always be to move
on, move away, and carry the enlightenment and enrichment to someplace
else—some corner of creation that awaits redemption.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
Bring forth wise and understanding men,
known among your tribes, and I will place them at your head (1:13)
The word va’asimeim (“and I will place them”) is
written in the Torah lacking the letter yud, so that the word can
also be read as va’ashamam, “and their guilt.” This comes to
teach us that the faults of a generation rest with its heads and leaders.
(Talmud; Rashi)
When someone comes to a rebbe and seeks
his counsel and assistance in dealing with a spiritual malady, the rebbe must
first find the same blemish, if only in the most subtle of forms, in his own
soul; only then can the rebbe help him to refine and perfect his self and
character. This is the deeper significance of that which our sages have said,
“The faults of a generation rest with its heads and leaders.”
(Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch)
Do not give anyone special recognition
when rendering judgment (1:17)
An impoverished widow once came to the beit din (courthouse)
of the great sage Rabbi Yehoshua of Kutna. Weeping bitter tears, she begged him
to summon to the court a man she accused of having wronged her.
Rabbi Yehoshua summoned the man to appear before the court, but referred
the case to another rabbi, refusing to preside over it himself. “The Torah
forbids the taking of bribes,” he explained. “Do you think that a bribe is only
a gift of money? Tears can also be a bribe that ‘blinds the clear-sighted’—especially
the tears of a poor widow.”
(Maayanah Shel Torah)
You all approached me, and said: “We
will send men before us, and they shall search us out the
land. . . .” And the thing pleased me well (1:22–23)
Moses consulted with G‑d, and G‑d said “Send for yourself” (Numbers 13:2)—as your mind dictates.
I am not instructing you; if you so desire, send. . . . By your
life, I shall now give you the option to err.
(Rashi; Talmud)
Moreover, we have seen the sons of the
giants there (1:28)
The descendents of Shamchazai and Azael, who fell from heaven in the
generation of Enosh.
(Rashi)
The Chassidic masters explain that the
generation of the spies was loath to enter the Land because they feared the
transition from the spiritual life they led in the desert (where they were
sustained by “bread from heaven” and all their physical needs were provided by
miraculous means, and their sole occupation was the study of Torah and the
service of G‑d) to a life on the land and all the material entanglements this
brings.
This explains the spies’ mention of the “sons of the giants” they
encountered in the Land. The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Bereishit 44) relates the
story of these “fallen angels”: In the years before the Flood, when violence
and promiscuity pervaded the earth, two angels, Shamchazai and Azael, pleaded
before the Almighty: “Allow us to dwell among the humans, and we shall sanctify
Your name!” But no sooner had the two heavenly beings come in contact with the
material world than they too were corrupted.
If these heavenly beings—the spies were saying—could not survive the
plunge to materiality, what could be expected of us, mortal and fragile men?
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe)
Also with me was G‑d angry for your
sakes, saying: “You, too, shall not enter [the Land]” (1:37)
G‑d said to Moses: “With what face do you request to enter the Land?”
This may be illustrated by a parable. It is like the case of a shepherd who
went out to feed the king’s flock, and the flock was abducted. When the
shepherd sought to enter the royal palace, the king said to him: “If you come
in now, what will people say? That it was you who have caused the flock to be
carried off!”
So too did G‑d say to Moses: “Your greatness is that you have taken the
600,000 out of bondage. But you have buried them in the desert, and will bring
into the Land a different generation! This being so, people will think that the
generation of the desert have no share in the world to come! No, better be
beside them, and you shall in the time to come enter with them.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
They chased you, as bees do, and beat
you down in Seir (1:44)
Just as a bee, as soon as it stings a person it dies, so too these
[Emorites]—no sooner did they touch you than they died.
(Rashi)
G‑d said to me: “Behold, I have begun
to give Sichon and his land before you” (2:31)
G‑d bound the supernal minister of the Emorites under Moses’ feet, and
made Moses tread on his neck.
(Rashi)
G‑d said to me: “Fear him
not . . .” (3:2)
In the case of Sichon, it was not necessary for G‑d to reassure Moses in
this way. Why did Moses have more cause to fear Og than Sichon? Because he was
afraid lest there stand by Og the merit that he served Abraham, as it is
written (Genesis 14:13), “The
refugee came and informed Abraham [of the capture of Lot]”—and this was Og.
(Rashi)
Devarim
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
The Zohar
Teachings
from the primary text of Kabbala, "The Book of Shining Light"
From the teachings of
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Kabbalah
teaches that everything in the revealed world depends on the higher hidden
world, its source.
Divine
Encounter in Egypt
Only
from the Egyptian exile could the Jewish nation truly recognize G-d's
greatness.
Intermediate
"These are the words which Moses spoke
to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in
the Aravah opposite the Red Sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Lavan,
and Hazeroth, and Dizahav." (Deut. 1:1)
In Egypt our forefathers were tested, like gold being smelted from its
dross in a furnace….
Rabbi Eleazar opened his discourse
with the quote: "And I am the Lord, your G‑d, from the land of
Egypt, and you shall know no other gods but Me; for there is no savior beside
Me." (Hosea 13:4) …Note that it is not written
that "I am your G‑d who took you out of
the land of Egypt", rather the text says that "I am your G‑d from
the land of Egypt". Does this imply that from [their dwelling in the] land of Egypt He was their King, but not
before? This can't be, because Jacob told his household upon leaving
his father-in-law, Laban, "Put away the strange gods that you have
among you. Let us arise, and go up to Beth-El; and I will there make an altar
to G‑d, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way
which I went." (Gen. 35:2-3) The reference to G‑d here is
clearly before the people of Israel were in Egypt, and yet our text says,
"I am your G‑d from the land of Egypt"!
The explanation is that from the
earliest days that Israel was in the world they didn't recognize the true
Majesty of G‑d. This happened only after they were in Egypt and were forced
into slave labor, and cried out to Him. Even though they were slaves, they
didn't alter their customs at all, and there in Egypt our forefathers were
tested, like gold being smelted from its dross in a furnace. Furthermore they
were exposed every day to all types of sorcery and similar wickedness designed
to lead people astray. Yet they didn't stray from their path - neither right or
left.
When they were pursued to the shores of the Red Sea…they saw the
splendor of His Highest glory face to face….
Even though they didn't really know the
glory of G‑d, they nevertheless continued the customs of their forefathers. It
was only afterwards that they saw so many miracles and mighty deeds and G‑d took
them to be His servants. It was in Egypt that they all saw so many miracles and
wonders with their own eyes and all those famous signs and mighty deeds. That
is the reason it is written, "I am the L-rd your G‑d from the land of
Egypt"; that was the land where He revealed His Glory!
He also revealed Himself to them when
they were pursued to the shores of the Red Sea. There they saw the splendor of
His Highest glory face to face with the splitting of the sea and the drowning
of their foes. All this so that it should not be said that it was some other
god that talked to us. Rather, "I am He Who did all these 10 plagues in
the land of Egypt." [This
means,] "Because of that which I did for you, you shall know no
other gods but Me. All this so you won't say that it was some other god that talked
to you, rather you will recognize that it is Me for all time."
Missing
Mother
Based
on Zohar Chadash, Eicha 91a
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Missing Mother: Based on Zohar Chadash, Eicha 91a
We are not able to comprehend how great
Israel was at the time of the Temple, and how evil was its destruction.
Those who lived in the Holy Land
answered, and said this letter to those in Babylon. It is certainly correct for
you who are exiled among the nations outside the boundaries of the Holy Land,
to cry over yourselves and your bones. For you have gone from light to dark,
like a servant who has left the house of his [beloved] master. But it is we who should cry, who should
eulogize, for G‑d has sent us the Book of Lamentations, for we are
the children of the Supernal Matronita. We are
the members of Her household who know the glory of the Master of the World [for
those outside the Land of Israel are not able to comprehend the level
of the land of Israel, how great it was at the time of the building, and how
evil was its destruction].Thus, we should be crying, and it is we who should
explain the Alef-Bet [of the verses in the Book of
Lamentations, arranged according to the Alef-Bet].
It is we who are orphans without
father or mother.
It is we who are orphans without father or mother [for the Shechinah left the Land of Israel to go into
exile, and our Father, Zeir Anpin, went with to protect Her from
attachment by the externalities]. Our eyes gaze towards the walls of our
Mother’s house which is destroyed and we are incapable of finding her.
In earlier times, she nourished us with the most choice [of her light].
She consoled us and spoke to our hearts like a mother to her child. It is
written, "As a mother consoles her son" (Isaiah
66:13)
Now our eyes look in every direction, and the place of our mother’s dwelling-place
is overturned and destroyed. The walls of her house and place of dwelling are
trampled to their foundations. Who will console us? Who will speak to our
hearts and protect before the King?
When we sinned against our Father, and the strap whipped us, She stood before
us to get the King’s whipping, protecting us. As it is written, " He
was injured because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities...by His
wounds we were healed." (Isaiah 53:5) Alas, now we have no
Mother. Woe, woe for us and woe for you! It is for us to cry! It is for us to
lament! It is fitting for us to explain those bitter words [in the
Book of Lamentations] to make known to those who know how to cry words
of lamentation.
We ask for Her, but no one notices
us.
That is because each day we come close to our Mother’s bedroom [the Holy of Holies] but do not find Her there. We ask for Her,
but no one notices us. We ask of Her bed, but it is turned over. We ask of Her
Throne [in the World of Beriya], but it has
fallen. We ask of her chambers [the 7 palaces of the World of Beriyah] but
they swear that they know nothing of her. We ask of the dust [of the
footprints of the Shechinah in
the World of Asiya], but her footprint is nowhere to be
found [for it has spread to another place; however, the impression of
her heel is the spark that extends from her below].
We ask of the roof [of the Temple, if the Shechinah is
to be found there]. The roof responds to us that She [the Shechinah] stood
there, crying. Leaving, She cried for us with a sad voice, moving from rooftop
to rooftop, as it says, "What can have happened to you, that all of you
have gone up on the roof." (Isaiah 22:1) We
ask of the roads and pathways [the ways by which the flow of blessing
descends, and we are told that the river is destroyed and dried up], and
all of them say that they heard a sad cry that She utters over Her children.
And they do not know where She went.
It fitting for us to cry. It is fitting for us to lament. We will kiss the dust
of her feet, we will kiss the place where she once rested. We will kiss the
walls of her chambers, and we will cry bitterly. We will open with lamentation,
for every day we see this. We will constantly weep, and the bitterness of our
crying will not cease from us.
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
Since the destruction of the First
Temple, Her palpable presence has been sorely and woefully absent.Where is the Shechinah, and why can't we see Her? Since the
destruction of the First Temple, Her palpable presence has been sorely and
woefully absent. And we who would so cherish her company; we are at a
tremendous loss. For during First Temple days, we all knew that She stood by
us. The Second Temple was a beautiful building—a body; but the soul—the Shechinah--was
lacking.
Some, those privileged few, can sense
Her at all times. For even though the world Olam/world is derived
from Ne'elam/concealed, they can know with perfect faith that She
is yes indeed here with us in exile. For most of us, however, we must trust in
the words of the Sages promising that She joins us here in the Diaspora.
The job of these days—and the job gets
really moving starting in Chodesh Av—is to figure out how we can build a
place for Her in our hearts. The Inner Temple. Where G‑d promised to dwell
among us. Our Mother's bedroom, Her bed, Her throne, Her rooms, Her roof, Her
dust, the walls of Her rooms...these are all sacred places within. Find out
what they mean inside yourself, prepare them, and you will do much to heal the
pain of apparent separation.
Expert
Enticement
Based
on Zohar Chadash Eicha, 91C
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Expert Enticement: Based on Zohar Chadash Eicha, 91C
Right from the beginning of a person’s
speech, one can deduce the speaker's character.
"Alas, lonely sits the
city." R. Haninai and the Sages opened with this verse (as
per) to Adam, as per "The L-rd G‑d took the man
and placed him in the Garden of Eden. (Gen. 2:15) "The
L-rd G‑d took him...":
How did He take him? R. Haninai said that He [persuaded him, enticed
him] with words. As it says, "Take Aaron [via
verbal persuasion] " (Lev. 8:2) The Sages
said, He took him (Elijah) with the wind [the power
of Zeir Anpin called ruach/spirit or wind],
"G‑d will take your master [Elijah1] away from you today [up
to heaven in a whirlwind (Rashi interprets this ‘in a
stormwind’)]" (II Kings 2:3)
"And He placed him in the Garden of Eden [the
secret of malchut]." This would provide him with the
leisure ("menucha", from the same Hebrew root as
"placed") needed to know and understand Wisdom and Torah [for
the secret of the light of the Torah is
in tiferet, and Wisdom is drawn from there to malchut]. As
R. Haninai says that He taught Adam the
Torah, as it says, "He (G‑d) saw it (the
Torah) and counted (the letters in) it" (Job 28:27) (and
the following verse is:)"He [G‑d] spoke [the
Torah] to man." And the angels praised Adam.
Sam-kel saw him from the heavens and grew jealous of him.
Until Sam-kel saw him from the heavens and grew jealous of
him. He descended from the heavens in the form of a shadow [the secret of Lil— his female counterpart] riding on the
Serpent. The Serpent was seen, while the shadow was its source of power and
vigor. That Serpent drew close to the woman who was more light-headed than
Adam. From here we learn that a woman is seduced only through another woman [for
the serpent was also the aspect of the female consort to Sam-kel]. The
serpent began by saying, "Did G‑d really [in
Hebrew, ‘af’, also meaning anger and rage, as it
says, "and the wrath/af of the Lord"] say 'You
shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" (Gen. 3:1) He
began his talk immediately with the word "really/af" [the kelipa called Af/anger]. From
here one learns that from the beginning of a person’s speech, one can recognize
their character.
[The serpent] took this sign in order to know whether [his
attempts] would be accepted by her or not. He seduced her with his
words until she answered with a sentence that began with the letter Mem.
"Mikol /We are permitted to eat from all of
the garden's trees." (Gen 3:2). [The serpent caused a
blemish in thought, which is bina, the secret of Mem which
opens to the left, the side of gevura and judgment.] Immediately,
the serpent took that letter [mem] and attached it to
his left arm [the side of gevura,
where judgment flows], and waited until the letters Vav and Tav left
her mouth [for by sinning with speech the letter Vav, which
is in tiferet,
was blemished and by sinning with action the letter Tav ,which is
in malchut, was blemished], so that MVT/death
might be prepared for them.
He began to seduce her with his words until we read, "the woman saw
that the tree was good for eating." (Gen 3:6) [with
large and strong reasons i.e. both "good for eating and a pleasure for the
eyes"] teaching us that the letters Vav and Tav [in
the word "Va-Teire/she saw"] flew out from her lips
and elevated to join with the letter Mem [to create
MaVeT/death]. But the letter Mem also elevated and
then fell and did not join with these other letters [Vav and Tav] until
she was seduced [and then death was decreed on the creatures of the
world].
The letters Vav and Tav flew forth 4
times. These letters then surrounded the letter Mem in all 4
directions, as it is written. "She took the fruit and ate. She gave
some to her husband...and the eyes of both were opened/VaTikach mipiryo
VaTochal VaTiten gam La-isha...VaTipakachnah einiei sheneihem." (Gen. 3:6) The
letters Vav and Tav are seen 4 times. This shows
that they encompassed the letter Mem on all 4 sides, the Mem standing
in the middle, Mavet/death [spelled out] in all 4
directions.
As it says, "for death has
climbed through our windows, has entered our fortresses." (Jeremiah
9:20) This refers to Sam-kel who is one of the
windows of heaven. On this, it is written, "What man can live and
not see death?" (Psalms 89:49) Sam-kel then
immediately overcame Eve and spewed his filth upon her. G‑d came down to see,
and Adam and his wife hid.
Before they sinned, the Shechinah was
a crown upon their heads...
Come and see: Before they sinned, the Shechinah was
a crown upon their heads; for their sake, She shined upon the world. When they sinned, it was as if Her strength was weakened , and
She left, no longer ruling the world [now ruled by Sam-kel and
Lil--] The Holy One, Blessed Be He [Zeir Anpin] began
to lament: "Alas/Eicha, [Eicha is
parsed Ayeh, meaning] what will become [and Koh]
of Her [the Shechinah], dominion has departed Her." So
too, when the Temple was destroyed, [holy] dominion
left, and G‑d began to mourn and say, "Alas, what will become
of it [the Shechinah, called Koh]?"
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
Words have consequence. Extreme consequence. Because words are built with
letters, the building blocks of the universe. (See Sefer HaYichud
VeHa'emuna) Therefore, we need to be very circumspect whenever we open
our mouth, for we have to power to create: "Abrakadabra/I
create by speech", as well as the power to destroy, even kill, with
slander.
The above Zohar examines
carefully how the words in the Scriptures hint to a completely different level
of meaning. How initial letters or numerical significance all can illustrate a
deeper connotation and denotation. The same can apply to our words, as
the Ba'al Shem Tov noted, even ordinary conversation can hint to
profundities.
Use your words and the words and
letters of others to build, and use them with consciousness, and you will do
much to repair the inner Temple within.
Hide and Seek
"Where
is the Shechinah?" we lament.
The first word of the Book of
Lamentations - "Eicha", which is read on the 9th of Av,
also appears in the Torah reading on the Shabbat preceding
that day:
Moses asks the people, "How [in
Hebrew, 'eicha'] can
I alone bear your weight, and your burden, and your strife?" (Deut. 1:12)
The sages teach us that it was
meaningless hatred that caused the destruction of the Second Temple.
The Zohar analyses this word "eicha" the first time
it appears in the Torah and
immediately connects it to the destruction of the Temples. Interestingly a
different word with the same spelling appears once again elsewhere in the
Torah:
And the Lord G‑d called
to Adam, and said to him, "Where are you"? [in Hebrew, 'ayeka', which has the same spelling as the
word 'eicha']
This verse is spoken after Adam has
eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He knows he has done wrong
and has hidden in the Garden of Eden. G‑d asks him where he is
and eventually banishes both he and Eve from the Garden. This story parallels
the destruction of the Temples and the exile of the Jews from the Holy Land, as
hinted at by the key word, "ayeka".
Thus it was hinted to Adam that in the
future the Temple would be destroyed and be mourned tearfully with the saying
of "eicha" [the
name in Hebrew of the book of Lamentations], as is written: "How [in
Hebrew, "eicha"] lonely sits the city, that was full
of people!" (Lamentations 1:1) [And "eicha"
is also two words:] "aye ka".
Just as the Garden of Eden was left
bereft, so will Jerusalem be as a result of failing to heed His word.
"eicha" is spelled aleph-yud, chaf-hei.
"Alef-yud" means
"where", and "chaf-hei" always refers
to the Shechina in the Zohar.
Now the word is interpreted to mean: Where is the Shechina that
dwelt in the Holy Temples? Where is the feeling of divine providence? Sinning
causes the holy presence to depart, leaving the unfortunate sinner in a state
of harsh exile instead of sweet unity.At the
time of the redemption of Israel, Zeir Anpin…and Malchut…will
be in perfect unity…
And in the future the Holy One blessed
be He will burn up all manner of wickedness from the world, as is written:
"He will destroy death for ever; and the Lord G‑d will wipe away tears
from off all faces; and the insult of His people shall He take away from all
the earth; for G‑d has spoken it. And it shall be said on that day, Behold,
this is our G‑d; we have waited for Him, and He will save us… we will be glad
and rejoice in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:8-9)
How precisely these verses fit! First
death, which was the result of Adam's sin in the first-quoted ayeka,
will be destroyed; the spirit will triumph over matter instead of the reverse.
Second, the tears of lamentation over the destruction of the Temples will be
wiped away. Thirdly the insult to His people, namely their exile from the
Temple Mount by the nations, and rampant anti-Semitism, will be removed.
Finally the presence of the Divine will again be felt in joy, removing the Jews
from the state of exile.
Then all [the partzufim] will return to their
place [as they were before the sin of Adam]. This is as is written:
"And the G‑d will be king over all the earth; on that day the G‑d shall
be one, and His name one." (Zachariah
14:9)
At the time of the redemption of
Israel, Zeir Anpin, referred to by "G‑d",
and Malchut, called
"His Name", will be in perfect unity and man will be fully conscious
of this.
Daily Zohar Study
Based on a yearly cycle of brief
daily Zohar study
The Zohar Yomi
audio series presents the daily Zohar portions from Hok L’Yisrael,
translated and explained by Rabbi Peretz Auerbach. Arranged by Rabbi
Chaim Vital, Hok L’Yisrael is a compilation of Tanach, Mishnah, Gemara and
Zohar divided into daily study portions. It is customary to learn one portion
each day.
In the tradition of the Holy Ari, this schedule enables
one to fulfill the obligation of daily study of these topics so that one's soul
will not have to undergo reincarnation!
The Holy Ari
Outstanding
Kabbalist of the last 1800 years; Leader of the Safed circle of mystics
From the teachings of Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria; translated and edited by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
Eleven Days
Fall from Edom
Each
stage of the Exodus hints at the process of the rectification of the entire
Creation.
Advanced
From the teachings of Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria; translated and edited by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
In the beginning of Parashat Devarim, Moses begins
his farewell address to the Jewish people before his death. As part of this
address, he rebukes them for having sinned. Although when they first left
Egypt, G‑d was rushing them through the desert in order to enter the
land of Israel as quickly as possible, their sins caused Him to
prolong their stay in the desert for forty years. A sign of how fast they were
originally traveling is the fact that, "it is eleven days [travel] from
Horeb via Mt. Seir to Kadesh Barnea" (Deut. 1:2;
see Rashi ad loc.) but they miraculously traversed this
distance in three days.
The mystical interpretation of this
verse is as follows:
[These eleven days] correspond
to the seven primordial kings that died and the four backs of Abba and Imma.
As we know, the seven kings of Edom are
the physical correlate to the seven lower sefirot of Tohu whose
vessels shattered. This was the origin of evil, i.e.
"separate-consciousness" as opposed to "divine
consciousness". The lower worlds (Beriya, Yetzira,
and Asiya) were constructed out of the fragments of these vessels,
and thus are realms of increasingly non-divine-oriented consciousness.
Eleven, however, indicates an excess, a…wasting of divine energy….
In the collapse of the world of Tohu,
not only did the seven lower, emotional sefirot shatter.
The sefirot of the intellect suffered a less drastic fall as
well. As we have explained previously, the reason they did not shatter
completely is because of the difference between intellect and emotion.
Intellect, being more abstract, is not an experience of self-assertion as much
as emotion is. The sefirot of the intellect, therefore, did
not clash with each other to the extent that the sefirot of
the emotions did. However, since the overall tone of the world of Tohu is
one of self-assertion and self-orientation, the external, or "back"
of the intellectual sefirot of chochma and bina did
clash somewhat and in the process lose some of their intensity, or
"fall". The reason why there are four "backs" of these
two sefirot is because they exist both in their totally abstract
forms (which evolve in the next world, Atzilut, into the partzufim of Abba and Imma)
and their more "applied" forms (which evolve in Atzilut into
the partzufim of Yisrael
Saba and Tevuna).
Thus, we have a total of eleven fallen
elements: the four partial collapses of the intellect and the seven total
collapses of the emotions.
These [eleven fallen elements] are the source of these eleven days.
The number eleven is especially
significant because it is one more than ten. Ten signifies holiness, the
complete functioning unit of the ten sefirot. The array of
ten sefirot is perfectly balanced and when operating as
intended is the channel for the transmission and distribution of holiness (G‑d-consciousness)
throughout reality.
Eleven, however, indicates and excess,
a spillage, an over-doing or wasting of divine energy. To explain this we will
digress briefly from this text and quote another passage from the Arizal's
teachings: (Etz Chaim 11:10)
The significance of the eleven
ingredients of the incense, the eleven goat-skin overhangings [of the Tabernacle], and the eleven curses in Parashat Ki
Tavo [is as follows]:
There are ten kelipot of Nogah.
Kelipot are layers of evil. Nogah is the realm of evil
that is "neutral", i.e. consciousness that is simply
"non-Divine" as opposed to "anti-Divine".
They possess holy life-force, which
enlivens them.
The divine life-force…hovers over their heads, and shines onto them from
there….
In order for anything to
exist, even evil, it must have some G‑dly life-force in it, i.e. some will
from G‑d to keep it in
existence. The difference, then, between evil and holiness is as follows:
As regards the ten holy sefirot,
the [Divine] life-force [that
enlivens them] is absorbed within them, and thus they are counted only
as ten.
Since holiness is G‑d-consciousness,
the holy sefirot are not an existential contradiction to G‑d's
will, so G‑d's enlivening energy can become part of them.
But with regard to the kelipot,
the [Divine] life-force [enlivening
them] cannot be absorbed within them, because the holy does not mix
with the profane. Rather, it hovers over their heads, and shines onto them from
there. Together they are thus regarded as eleven [entities].
Since evil is by definition
antithetical to G‑d-consciousness, it cannot "host" divine
life-force.
This is the [mystical] meaning of [the statement of our sages]:
"Whoever adds, detracts." (Sanhedrin 29a )
We return now to our original text.
[These eleven days] are
"via Mt. Seir", this being the mystery of the kings of Edom.
The eleven fallen levels produce, as we have noted, the existence of
evil in the lower worlds….
The eleven fallen levels produce, as we
have noted, the existence of evil in the lower worlds ("lower"
meaning "below Atzilut"). Mt. Seir is the abode of Esau,
the wicked brother of Jacob, the progenitor of the kingdom of Edom. "Edom"
in Hebrew means "red", and is thus associated with bloodshed and
bloodlust, just as Esau chose
to be a hunter rather than a farmer. Edom eventually produced the nation of
Rome, which destroyed the holy Temple, decimated the Jewish people, and
exiled them from their land.
These [eleven fallen levels also] give rise to the eleven overhangings
of goat-skin.
The word "seir" in
Hebrew means "goat". Although goats are kosher animals and
were offered as sacrifices in the Temple, the Torah also makes
reference to "goat-devils" (Lev. 17:7; Isaiah
13:21) associating the goat with evil. Thus, the eleven
goat-skin overhangings in the Tabernacle signify
the "shell" nature of evil. The shell is the inedible part of the nut
or fruit, and must be discarded. On the other hand, the shell performs a vital
function in that it protects the nut or fruit while it is growing, just as ego
and selfishness help a child develop a necessary sense of self before he
graduates to a mature consciousness of selflessness. Thus, the goat, again, has
its place in the Temple, both as an offering and as a protective covering.
Now, in order that the "day"
shine out of the night - i.e. that the [sparks
of holiness inherent in evil be liberated through the] process of
separation accomplished [by our proper use of physicality] -
the Destruction had to take place.
The purpose of the creation of evil is
so that these high-energy sparks of Tohu can be released from
their non-holy context and made part of the holy order. Thus, holiness acquires
an added energy and impetus that it does not possess otherwise. This is known
as bringing "the lights of Tohu into the vessels of Tikun".
Thus, any descent in level is
ultimately for the purpose of a subsequent ascent, in order to capitalize on
the latent energy implicit in the lower level and harness it for goodness and
holiness.
This is the mystical meaning of this
verse: There are eleven "days" from "Horeb", meaning that
issued from the dregs of the Destruction. As our sages said, that G‑d was
building and destroying worlds [before He
created our world].
The word "Horeb" ("Chorev"
in Hebrew) means "destruction". The beginning of the verse thus means
that the revelation ("days") of divinity we are striving to bring
about is made possible by the eleven fallen levels of the destroyed world
of Tohu.
These previous versions of the world were…created and then destroyed….
In the Midrash, we are told that
the fact that the Torah records
that G‑d pronounced this world "good" when He created it implies that
He had been creating and destroying other "versions" of it before
finally settling on this one, which He considered "good" relative to
them. According to Kabbala, this does not mean (G‑d forbid) that G‑d had
to go through various "tries" until He got it right; rather, these
previous versions of the world were the preparatory stages of Creation (Akudim, Nekudim, Tohu,
etc.) that were imperfect but necessary precursors to this world. They were
created and then destroyed so that the ruins of their destruction would linger
as the existential constituents of our present reality, giving it its potential
for elevation to levels higher than its own origin.
The verse alludes to the fact that our
redemption is dependent upon [the process
of effecting] these "days" [i.e. revelations caused
by the elevation of the sparks], as is known. For [the Redemption
will not occur] until all the "souls" are released from the
"body" of evil, and ascend every day into holiness.
Our sages state, "The son of David [meaning
the Mashiach] will not come until all the souls have been emptied out of
the Body, (Yevamot 62a) referring to the celestial storehouse
of souls. (This is one reason why religious Jews seek to have as many children
as possible.) Here, this phrase is being used allegorically, the
"souls" meaning the sparks of holiness hidden within the coarse
"body" of evil.
This is alluded to by the words
"until Kadesh", meaning,
until they ascend and become sanctified to come afterwards into this world as
"weekday souls", as is known.
Kadesh means "holiness". [This sentence may mean
that the sparks of holiness liberated by our involvement with the physical
world become somehow embodied in the souls of the children conceived by marital
relations conducted on weekdays (as opposed to on Shabbat). But I have to
verify this. - Rabbi Wisnefsky]
The verse ends with the word
"Barnea", indicating that these sparks wander back and forth all
throughout the exile until their final elevation and redemption, may it be
speedily, in our days.
The word "Barnea" is
here allegorically interpreted to mean "one who wanders" (bar-na [v'nad]).
Evil Among
the Nations
Kabbalah
explains why we were told to eradicate only 7 of the 10 evil nations.
Advanced
From the teachings of Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria; translated and edited by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
We must understand why, with regard to
the seven [Canaanite] nations, G‑d commanded us "you shall leave
no soul alive", whereas with regard to Seir, Moab, and Ammon, He
commanded us not to attack them.
In the book of Genesis, G‑d promises to Abraham the
land of Canaan, which comprises the territory of ten nations: the Kenites,
the Kenizites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizites, the Refaim, the
Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. (Gen. 15:19-21) The
first three were synonymous with the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites.
We will inherit the land of the other three nations in the future….
In the time of Moses, however,
whenever the Torah lists the peoples of Canaan whose
land G‑d will give to the Jewish people, only the last seven of these ten are
mentioned. Thus, our sages note, G‑d only gave the latter seven nations to the
Jews in the time of Moses, and we will inherit
the land of the other three nations in the future, when Mashiach comes. (Bereishit Rabba 44:23) The
Jewish people are commanded to entirely wipe out these seven nations: "Of
the cities of these peoples whom G‑d is giving you to inherit, you shall leave
no soul alive. Rather, you must wipe them out: the Hittite, the Amorite, the
Canaanite, the Perizite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as G‑d has commanded
you." (Deut. 20:16-17)
In the portion of the Torah read
this week, Moses reviews the journeys on which he led the Jewish people on
their way to the threshold of the Land of Israel. They were told by G‑d
not to wage war against the descendents of Esau, who inhabited Mt.
Seir (ibid. 2:2-8) or to wage war against Moab (ibid.
2:9) or Ammon. (ibid. 2:17-19) In contrast, they were commanded
to fight and conquer the two Amorite kings, Sichon (ibid. 2:24-25,31) and Og (ibid.
3:2).
The seven nations are the earthly manifestations of the seven evils….
The explanation is that the seven
nations are [the earthly manifestations of] the seven evils, i.e. the vessels
that broke. Thus, all the holiness [that was originally in them] has left them.
In the world of Tohu, which
collapsed, the full breakage of the vessels occurred only in the seven
lower sefirot, from chesed to malchut.
When the vessels of these sefirot broke,
they could contain nothing of the holy "lights" that had been in
them. These lights therefore left the vessels, and the broken vessels fell into
the lower worlds, becoming the source of all the egocentricity and evil of
these worlds.
[Some of] the holiness
remained, however, in first three [sefirot]. The [earthly
manifestations of these sefirot] were the Kenites, the
Kenizites, and the Kadmonites.
In the first three sefirot of Tohu,
the vessels were more spiritual than they were in the lower seven sefirot.
This is simply because emotions, the lower seven sefirot, are much
more subjective than intellect or super-intellect (the first three sefirot).
Therefore, even though there was no inter-inclusion amongst the sefirot in
the world of Tohu (this being the reason why the vessels
broke, as we have explained previously), this was not so crucial in the case of
the first three sefirot. Their essential natures were not as
self-assertive and exclusive of other natures, as were those of the seven
lower sefirot.
Since the shattered fragments of the
emotions (middot) of Tohu are embedded in our world, we
can refine them and elevate them. This we do whenever we refine our animal
natures, and the completion of this process will usher in the Messianic Era.
Since, however, the intellect and super-intellect of Tohu did
not break and did not become embedded in the existential fabric of our order of
existence, we cannot refine it.
In the [messianic] future, the holiness will completely depart [these sefirot],
and thus we will then be commanded to "leave no soul alive" of them,
as well.
The elevation and refinement of the
intellect and super-intellect of Tohu will occur only in the
messianic future, when we will be able to eliminate the negative aspects of
these sefirot as well.
These [three
nations] are synonymous with Seir, Ammon, and Moab. Seir alludes to the
first [sefira, keter], as it is written,
"and the he-goat [in Hebrew, "seir"] is
the king…" (Daniel 8:21)
"Keter" literally
means "crown" and is thus the sign of kingship. Seir, the
southernmost of the three kingdoms on the far side of the Jordan, thus
signifies keter, or the super-intellect, of Tohu.
Moab means "from the
father" [in Hebrew, "mei-av"] and
thus alludes to chochma.
Emotions…possess their own roots and origins within the pre-conscious
mind….
Lot's daughter conceived her son by her
own father. When she named him, she expressed this in the name she gave him,
since Moab means "from the father". The people of Moab descended from
this incestuous union. Abba ("father") is the partzuf of chochma and thus
this nation alludes to the chochma of Tohu. Moab
was situated immediately north of the kingdom of Seir, and the Jewish people,
traveling northward from the Sinai desert, encountered them immediately after
their encounter with the Edomites in Seir.
[The name] Ammon [permutes
to spell] "noam" [which means
"pleasantness"], alluding to bina.
The insight of chochma,
since it is abstracted from any contextual relationship to the individual's way
of thinking, is not accompanied by any sense of conscious pleasure or joy.
(There is a sublime, only semi-conscious sense of pleasure,
but it is as abstract and ephemeral as the insight itself.) This occurs only
when the insight is integrated into the existing mental structure, which is the
function of bina. The new, higher
perception of reality that is produced engenders a sensation of pleasure and
happiness. In a similar fashion, we are taught that the liquid that corresponds
to chochma is water, while that which corresponds to bina is
wine.
Ammon was situated immediately north of
Moab, and the Jewish people passed by their land immediately after they passed
by the kingdom of Moab.
Now, Seir is Edom (See Gen. 32:4,
36:9; Deut.
2:5). The seven kings who ruled there were not from that land, they
just ruled over it. This is indicated by the fact that each one is mentioned
together with the country he came from, since they themselves were not
from Edom.
We just identified Seir with keter of Tohu,
which did not break. Yet the "seven kings of Edom" are always
identified with the seven lower sefirot of Tohu,
which did break. The Arizal solves this by saying that the
"seven kings of Edom" ruled in that country but were not actually
from it. Thus, Edom itself does indeed signify keter of Tohu.
The fact that foreign kings occupied the territory of Edom before its kingdom
was properly established would indicate the strong connection between the
super-intellect (or subconscious) and the emotions. As we are taught in Chasidut,
although the emotions are revealed and guided by the intellect, they possess
their own roots and origins within the pre-conscious mind (i.e. keter).
Now, when the Torah describes how the
Jewish people were not to wage war against Ammon and Moab, it points out that
these lands were formerly occupied by the Refaim. Thus, it might be assumed
that their territory was indeed part of that of the seven nations the Jews were
meant to conquer in Moses' time, since, as we pointed out above, the Refaim were
one of these seven. The Torah, however, points out that this is not the case,
and that G‑d gave these territories of the Refaim to other parts of Abraham's family, i.e. the
nations descended from the sons of Lot (Ammon and Moab).
In the course of this discussion, the
Torah makes mention of the fact that the Refaim who formerly occupied the land
of Moab were also called Eimites (Deut. 2:10-11), and those who formerly
occupied the land of Ammon were also called Zamzumites (Deut. 2:20).
The Zamzumites personified the evil
portion of chochma [of Tohu] that
was removed, as it is written, "as he schemed" [in Hebrew,
"zamam"] (Deut. 19:19). The Mixed Multitude is [spiritually] derived
from them, as well as anyone who has evil thoughts or fancies.
The name "Zamzumites" is
etymologically related to the word for "scheme" ["zamam"].
They thus personified the fallen, corrupt version or use of insight, i.e.
scheming and plotting evil.
We said above that Ammon signified
the bina of Tohu. So, either the Arizal here
means to include the Eimites together with his mention of the Zamzumites as
former inhabitants of the lands associated with the intellect of Tohu,
or he is referring to the process of how chochma enters and
informs bina, i.e. that the Zamzumites actually hail from chochma but
they settled the land of bina.
The mitzva of circumcision is intended to sever the Jew
from his egocentric, material orientation….
In any case, this perversion of
intellect is the source of all evil thoughts and fancies, as well as of the
distorted way of thinking associated with the Mixed Multitude. The Mixed
Multitude were the Egyptian converts that accompanied the Jewish people on
their exodus from Egypt. Since their motives for conversion were not
pure (they were impressed by the victory of the Jews over the Egyptians rather
than the merits of monotheism over idolatry), they were the cause of much of
the suffering the Jews underwent in their desert trek. The first and most
heinous of these instances was that of the Golden Calf, which was in
essence a warped vision of the role of Moses as the intermediate between G‑d
and Israel.
The fact that these nations (Edom,
Moab, and Ammon) were not to be engaged in conflict indicates, as we said, that
until Mashiach comes we do not possess the power to rectify
the wild, unrectified intellect and super-intellect of Tohu. We are
thus taught in Chasidut that
when untoward thoughts enter our minds, we must not attempt to elevate them or
refine them, but simply push them away and bypass them, just as we passed by
the lands of these nations without engaging in any conflict. We are bidden
to rectify our emotions, however (as signified by the seven Canaanite nations),
by utilizing our intellects to meditate and contemplate life in such a way that
engenders proper emotions and emotional responses.
The Arizal now turns to discuss the two
nations that Moses and the Jewish people were allowed and even
bidden to conquer. These were actually two branches of one kingdom, that of the
Amorites, which, as we saw above, were one of the seven nations.
[The name] "Sichon"
is etymologically related to the word for "young donkey" ["sayach"] (See Rosh
HaShanah 3a). [He personified] the type of evil identified
with the donkey, which is also identified with the foreskin over the [organ
of] circumcision.
The Hebrew word for "donkey",
"chamor", is related to the word for "material"
("chomer") and "materialism" ("chumriut").
Sichon is thus the personification of gross materialism, or the desire for
sensual gratification.
The mitzva of
circumcision is intended to sever the Jew from his egocentric, material
orientation and thereby prepare him and make his suitable for the pursuit of
spirituality and holiness. As is explained in Chasidut, the
presence of the foreskin renders sexual relations more immediately personally
gratifying, but desensitizes the individual to the experience of his wife.
Sexual relations thus remain an essentially narcissistic experience. The
removal of the foreskin puts the individual more directly in contact with his
wife, and thus he shares her experience as well. This, of course, serves to
spiritualize and therefore augment the sensual experience in ways not possible
in the narrow, egocentric context.
The removal of the foreskin, i.e. the
propensity toward gross, self-oriented materialism, thus sensitizes the
individual to the presence of an other person, and ultimately, readies him for
encounter with the ultimate Other, G‑d.
Og,
in contrast, [personified the type of evil] identified
with the mucous membrane which covers the [organ of] circumcision.
As it is written, "he drew a circle" ["ag ugah"] (Taanit 23a) This
is a particularly difficult form of evil [to deal with] inasmuch
as it is very close to holiness.
The olive tree signifies the sefira of yesod….
The name "Og" (spelled ayin-gimel)
is etymologically related to the root ayin-vav-gimel or ayin-gimel-gimel,
which means, "to form a circle". Thus, it refers to the mucous
membrane which encircles the glans of the penis underneath the foreskin, and
which must also be peeled back as part of the rite of circumcision. The removal
of the foreskin is called "mila" (meaning "cutting")
and the removal of the mucous membrane is called "pria"(meaning
"peeling" back).
This membrane is obviously much more
subtle and delicate than the coarse foreskin. It therefore embodies a much more
abstract, delicate form of evil that is therefore much more difficult to root
out than the usual, coarse evil. In Chasidut it is explained that
the foreskin signifies the evil that exists in the outer dimension of the
heart, while the mucous membrane signifies the evil that exists in the inner
dimension of the heart. The evil of the outer dimension of the heart is the
individual's gross lust for material and sensual forms of pleasure and
gratification.
These two kings [Sichon and Og] were the kings of the Amorites. This
kingdom personified the sefira of yesod,
as it is written, "two and three berries on the head of the uppermost
bough". (Isaiah 17:6; Sanhedrin 95b )
The preceding phrase reads: "Only
gleanings shall be left of it, as when one beats an olive tree: two or three
berries on the topmost branch…" The olive tree signifies the sefira of yesod.
The condensed essence of any thing is considered the "oil" of that
thing, and yesod is the condensed essence of the preceding
five sefirot, as we have explained previously. Yesod is
associated in human anatomy with the male organ of procreation, and man's
vital seed is considered his condensed essence, capable of reproducing him.
Thus, the two Amorite kings, Sichon and Og, personify the two layers covering
the sefira of yesod that must be eliminated
in order for the Jewish people (and each individual Jew) to reveal their innate
sensitivity to each other as well as to G‑d, and thus be prepared to enter the
holy Land of Israel.
1000 Lights
of Understanding
Moses
could only enlighten the nation according to his level.
Advanced
From the teachings of Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria; translated and edited by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
Before his death, Moses blessed
the Jewish people: "May G‑d, the G‑d of your forefathers
increase you a thousand fold." (Deut. 1:11) To
this, the Jewish people replied, "Moses! You are setting a
limit to our blessing (by limiting it to a thousand fold increase)! The Holy
One, blessed be He, has already promised Abraham: 'I will make your
offspring like the dust of the earth' meaning, if a person can count the
dust of the earth, so will he be able to count your offspring. (Gen. 13:16) Moses
replied, "What I said is my own blessing [i.e. the maximum extent to which
I can bless you]. But as for G‑d, He will indeed 'bless you as He spoke of
you.'" (Rashi, ibid.)
To understand this, let us note that
the numerical value of "Moses" [in Hebrew, "Moshe" = 345] is the same as that
of the divine name E-l Sha-dai.
"Moshe" is
spelled: mem-shin-hei = 40 + 300 + 5 = 345.
"E-l Sha-dai" is
spelled: alef-lamed, shin-dalet-yud
When these names are spelled out and
the kolel is added, their numerical value is 1000.
|
alef |
alef-lamed-pei |
1 + 30 + 80 |
111 |
|
lamed |
lamed-mem-dalet |
30 + 40 + 4 |
74 |
|
shin |
shin-yud-nun |
300 + 10 + 50 |
360 |
|
dalet |
dalet-lamed-tav |
4 + 30 + 400 |
434 |
|
yud |
yud-vav-dalet |
10 + 6 + 4 |
20 |
|
|
|
TOTAL = |
1000 |
This 1000 [in Hebrew, "elef"] is the 1000 of bina,
for these divine names are located there; this is the mystical meaning of the
statement: "Alef-beit, alef-bina."
In the Talmud, the meanings of the
names of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are interpreted as a sequence:
"The Rabbis told Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: 'Children have come
to the house of study and said things the like of which was not said even in
the days of Joshua the son of Nun:
"'Alef beit' [means] 'learn understanding' ['alef bina']. 'Gimel dalet',
[means] 'show kindness to the poor' ['gemol dalim'], and so on. (Shabbat 104a)
Moses…could only impart to them the spiritual potentials associated
with Imma….
The phrase "alef-beit"
is interpreted as "learn understanding" since the word alef also
means "to learn", and the word for "understanding", "bina",
begins with the letter beit.
The word "alef" is
spelled the same way as the word for "one thousand", "elef".
Thus, the phrase "alef-bina" may also be read, "the
thousand of bina", giving the relationship between the number
1000, the numerical value of the spelling out of the names E-l Sha-dai.
In the parallel passage in Likutei
Torah, Moses and the names E-l Sha-dai are described as
being in the world of Beriya rather than in the partzuf of Imma (of Atzilut).
This accords with the fact that the partzuf of Imma "nests"
in the world of Beriya,
i.e. that bina is the dominant consciousness of the world
of Beriya (while chochma is the dominant
consciousness of Atzilut,
the emotions are the dominant consciousness of Yetzira, and malchut is
the dominant consciousness of Asiya).
This is also the significance of the
"one million shield-bearers of the first world", mentioned [in the Zohar].
In the Zohar,
one of the appellations of the world of Beriya is "the
one million shield-bearers". (Zohar III:132a; see Chasdei David #118) One
million is a thousand thousands, i.e. 1000 entities inter-included amongst
themselves. This world is called "shield-bearers", since it is the
first world in which the energy of holiness must be protected from the forces
of evil, just as bina must be protected from the sensation of
ego that accompanies understanding and integrating an insight of chochma.
Now, Moses' power [to bless] reached [only] as far [up] as Imma;
this is why he blessed them to increase [only] a thousand
fold.
This is perhaps related to the idea of
the "a thousand lights" that were detracted from Moses' understanding
of the Torah because of the sin of the Golden Calf and are
returned to his soul every Shabbat. (See our excerpt on parashat VaEtchanan, first installment.
G‑d's blessing transcends the limits of understanding and is infinite…
Evidently, since Moses' task is to
teach the Torah to
the Jewish people, meaning to make them understand it, he
could only impart to them the spiritual potentials associated with Imma,
the partzuf of bina, understanding.
But as for G‑d Himself, "He will
bless you [as He spoke concerning
you," i.e. infinitely] from the supernal partzuf of Abba.
G‑d's blessing transcends the limits of
understanding and is infinite, this being the experience of insight, or chochma.
Hence we see that intellectual understanding is a limited form of connection to
G‑d, and that our connection to Him must be predicated on assumptions and
involvement that transcends intellect. In this way we can "access"
His infinity as well, and produce an infinite "progeny" of shades of
heightened divine consciousness with which to "populate" reality.
Mystical Classics
An anthology
from the Shelah, the Alshich, the Ohr Hachayim, and others
Destruction
of Body and Soul
The
Temple and its Destruction are matters of the soul
Intermediate
By Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz; adapted
from Shenei Luchot HaBrit by Eliyahu Munk
Parashat Devarim is always read in the three weeks of mourning
culminating in the fast of the Ninth of Av; its content is most
appropriate at that time.
The reason we have lost the Temple and
have been sent into exile is that we were guilty of violating those Torah laws
designed to perfect our soul, body and financial dealings. Our sages have said
that during the period of the First Temple, Israel sinned by
worshipping idols, engaging in sexual licentiousness and committing murder. (Jerusalem
Talmud Yoma 1:1)The sin of
worshipping idols is essentially one of the soul…
Ever since the destruction of the First
Temple, the damage done by committing these sins has not been repaired, not
even when the Second Temple was built. This is why five important
manifestations of G‑d's presence [proof of
the high spiritual level of the Jewish people] were missing during all
the years that the Second Temple functioned. Our sages found this alluded to in
the defective spelling of the word "I will be glorified"
in Haggai: "Go up to the mountain, get timber and rebuild the
House; then I will look on it with favor and I will be glorified [in
Hebrew, 'v'echbedah'] - thus said the Lord." (1:8) The
missing letter hei was the prophet's way of telling Israel
that the Second Temple would be inferior to the first in five respects. (Yoma 21)
The sin of worshipping idols is
essentially one of the soul; the very thought that there are other deities
besides G‑d is prohibited.
Sexual licentiousness is, of course, a
sin committed by the body. There is no other sin that involves as many limbs
and organs simultaneously as engaging in sexual intercourse.
Murder also involves all parts of the
body; all the organs and limbs of the victim are rendered useless. Jerusalem had
been described as "filled with blood". (Isaiah
1:15)
That same generation had also been
guilty of unfair dealings in monetary matters, as described in the verse:
"Your rulers are rogues and cronies of thieves; all of them greedy for
bribes." (Isaiah 1:23)
The making of vows, or failure to
honor them, also involves one's soul. The immediate cause of Nebuchadnezzar's
attack on Jerusalem was
King's Zedekiah's having broken his solemn oath to the former not to rebel
against his rule. (II Kings 25:1) This is why the elders of
Zion are reported as having put dust on their heads and having lowered their
heads to the ground ;(Lamentations 2:10); Eicha Rabba (2:14) relates
that the members of the Jewish Supreme Court at the time of King Zedekiah were
executed as punishment for violation of the vows. According to
the Midrash, the oath of loyalty had been taken on the Golden Altar, i.e.
in the Sanctuary.
To Understand
Understanding
"How
can this have happened? How can there be wisdom without compassion?"
Translated and annotated
by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin from PaRDeS HaBahir
For an explanation of the methodology
of this series, see the introduction.
"Prepare for yourselves wise
and understanding men, known among your tribes, and I will make them heads over
you." (Deut. 1:13)
Peshat (basic meaning):
Rashi: "prepare for yourselves"
Prepare yourselves for this matter.
"understanding [men]"
"A wise man is like a rich money
changer..."[i.e. men] who understand [and derive]
one thing from another. This is what Arius asked Rabbi Yose: "What is the
difference between wise men and understanding men?" [Rabbi Yose said]
"A wise man is like a rich money changer: When people bring him dinars to
examine, he examines them. When they do not bring [money] to him, he sits doing
nothing. An understanding man, however, is like a merchant money changer: When
they bring him money to examine, he examines it, and when they do not bring it
to him, he goes out and brings his own [money - i.e., he does not wait for
people to come to him, he goes to them]
"well-known among your tribes"
Men whom you recognize, for if one were
to come before me wrapped in his tallit, I would not know who he is
and of what tribe he is, and whether he is suitable. But you know him, for you
have raised him. Therefore, it says, "well-known among your tribes."
"and I will make them heads
over you"
As chiefs and respected persons over
you, i.e., you should act towards them with respect and reverence. This teaches
us that Israel’s transgressions are hung over the heads of their judges,
since they [the judges] should have prevented them [from sinning] and direct
them along the right path.
Remez (hinted meaning):
Baal HaTurim: "And I shall place them as your
heads"
The word "Va’asimam/I
shall place them" is spelled defectively, without a yud (=
10). This indicates to you that the Torah admonished 10 times
regarding judges. Alternatively, it is spelled defectively to indicate to you
that the guilt lies with the head leaders, for it is within their power to
protect yet they did not protest.
Derash (interpretive meaning):
Ohr HaChayim: He used the word "for
yourselves" before mentioning that they should be from their
respective tribes as the fact that the judges were selected from within their
respective tribes resulted in many beneficial effects for the members of the
tribes.
"and I will place them as heads
over you":
Although Moses told the
people that the appointment of these judges would be for their benefit, i.e.
that they themselves would be allowed to select these judges, the fact remained
that these judges would exert their authority over the people, if necessary, by
means of force.
Mei HaShiloah: In this verse, Moses proposes to
appoint wise, understanding, and reputable individuals to be leaders over the
tribes. In verse 15 he appoints only wise and reputable ones. What happened to
the understanding ones? In the ninth verse, Moses said, "Eicha esa
l'vadi/How can I bear your troubles by myself?" In every parasha,
the 9th verse carries additional depth beyond the simple meaning. What is the
depth here?
The 'Eicha'-cry of
Moses hints to the Eicha of Jeremiah the prophet...
The 'Eicha'-cry of Moses hints to the Eicha of Jeremiah the prophet
which opens the Book of Eicha/Lamentations read on Tisha B'Av:
"Eicha Yashvah badad/How can Jerusalem sit alone?" Moses
let us know well in advance that there would be times when we would scream
"Eicha, how could this have happened? Part of the answer is that he
could find no one of bina/understanding who could explain "Eichah/how?"
According to Kabbalah, the word for this month Av, also meaning
'father,' stands for chochma/wisdom, as it exists without softening
by bina/understanding. Bina represents Imma/mother,
who reflects and contains until understanding is squeezed out with any drops of
sweet sorrow. This is compassion in action.
Chochma, however, is a
flash of idea, without such "patience". Chochma and bina are
2 friends who never separate, and work well. But when bina has
no chochma, it might hold on forever. When chochma has
no bina as in the month of Av, it may break situations
without motherly compassion Thus the wail of Eichah/How can
this have happened? How can there be wisdom without compassion?
Sod (esoteric, mystical meaning):
Zohar Vayakhel 201:
Afterwards, Rabbi Yosi opened with the following verse: "And
every wise hearted individual among you shall come and make." (Ex. 35:5) We
already explained this text but come and see: when G‑d said to Moses
"Take wise and understanding men", he searched
throughout Israel but did not find men of understanding. This is why, "So
I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known," (Ibid. 15) but 'understanding' is
not mentioned. You might say that understanding is in a grade superior to
wisdom, and this of course is right.
What is the difference between them? We explained about a wise man, that even a
pupil who imparts wisdom to his rabbi is considered wise. A wise man knows for
himself what ought to be done. A man of understanding has many levels in him,
because he examines everything and knows for himself and for others. You may
derive this from "A righteous man regards the life of his
beast". (Prov. 12:10) And also "righteous
ruling in the fear of Elokim." (II Samuel
23:3) And here, "wise hearted" is
precise, Man is wise in his heart, and not elsewhere, because wisdom lies in
the heart. But a man of understanding exist both above and below, and observes
himself and others.
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
Chochma/wisdom, bina/understanding, and da'at/applied
Knowledge are 3 different things. 'Rabbi Eliezer the son of Azariah would
say: If there is no chochma/wisdom, there is no fear of G‑d; if there is no fear of G‑d,
there is no chochma/wisdom. If there is no da'at/
applied knowledge, there is no bina/understanding; if there is
no bina/understanding, there is no da'at/ applied
knowledge." (Avot 3:10)
Mentalities lacking integration are
like islands in the sea...
We need integration. Mentalities lacking integration are like islands in the
sea, each powerful and rich in resources, but isolated, and unable to assist
the greater whole.
Perhaps what the Zohar is
telling us is that although chochma is more sublime, more
intuitive, and "higher" in absolute and abstractness, that da'at is
in a sense "higher" in that it is concrete, it is of this world, and
it is practical. We should not be so spiritually minded that we are of no
earthly good.
Bina means to be able to discern the trees from the Forest, to be
able to uses the left-brain for real life problem solving. Da'at takes
this and puts it into action, applies the knowledge of chochma and
the analysis of bina, marries them together, and voila, we have a
product!
Chochma is parsed as koach mah, lit. "the
power of What?" Bina, however, asks a more refined question of "Mi/Who?", Mi having
a gematria of 50, representing bina's 50 gates.
Not "What is this?", but rather "Who's going to get the job
done?!"
Venting Wrath
on Wood and Stone
Why
does Assaf appear to dedicate a hymn to the destruction of the Temple, instead
of an elegy?
From
the Ohr HaChaim commentary by Rabbi Chaim (ben Moshe) ibn Attar
"G‑d was also angry at me on
your account." (Deut. 1:37)
This is difficult as we have no
independent evidence of G‑d having become angry
at Moses on account of the sin of the spies. I believe the correct
meaning of these words must take into account what the Talmud said in
connection with the people crying during that night. (Ta'anit 29
on Numbers
14:1) The Talmud says that
because of their needless weeping on that might the Jewish people were
condemned to weep on that date with good reason for many many years, when they
would mourn the destruction of both Temples which occurred on the anniversary
of that fateful night.
...they would mourn the destruction of both Temples which occurred on
the anniversary of that fateful night.
The Talmud adds that if Moses had been allowed
to enter the Holy Land the very first Temple would have been the
final Temple, i.e. there never would have occurred a
destruction of the Holy Temple. (Sota 9)
In this connection there is an
interesting Midrash where Assaf appears to have dedicated a hymn to
the destruction of the Temple. (Midrash Tehilim on
Psalm 79:1) The Midrash asks, predictably, that instead of dedicating a
hymn to such an event Assaf should have written an elegy, a song of mourning!
The answer is that Assaf composed the hymn in gratitude to G‑d who had vented
His wrath on buildings of wood and stone such as the holy Temple and the city
of Jerusalem instead of on human beings.
If we extrapolate on the reasoning of
the Midrash and consider the fact that the Temple Moses would have built would
have become indestructible, then every time the people sinned G‑d would have
had to pour out His wrath at the people themselves instead of at the Temple. In
order to avoid such a thing from ever occurring, G‑d decided to let Moses die
on the East Bank of the Jordan. This is what Moses meant when he said that G‑d’s
anger at him worked in Israel’s favor, i.e. biglalchem,
"for your sake."
Had the sin of the spies not occurred,
Moses would have entered the Holy Land with the result we have just described.
The world biglalchem is derived from galgal,
"revolving," or in the metaphysical sense "transmigration (of souls)." When G‑d decreed death on Moses which would result
in his ultimate reincarnation, He did the Israelites a great favor by
venting His wrath at Moses at that time.
Alternatively, the meaning of the
words: "G‑d was also angry at me on your account" may be that
Moses implied that ‘if you would not have become guilty of this sin and I would
have been allowed to enter the Holy Land and build the Holy Temple, there never
would have arisen an occasion for G‑d to become angry at you at all, as you
would have retained your level of righteousness permanently.’ Had it not been
for this sin, the power of evil would never have become as great. Now that this
had happened, G‑d realized that once the Israelites would enter the Holy Land
they would not be able to maintain their spiritual high. We can derive all this
from a study of the song Moses composed in parashat Ha’azinu.
In that event, G‑d would have cancelled His oath...
You may counter that this may be fine
homiletics, but the fact remains that Moses’ death in Transjordan was caused
due to his failure to speak to the rock at the waters of Meriva (Numbers,
Chapter 20) not to the sin of the spies. The answer which I have mentioned
already on that occasion is that had Moses spoken to the rock at that time the
Israelites could have recovered the spiritually high level they possessed prior
to the sin of the spies by means of watching that great display of G‑d’s power.
In that event, G‑d would have cancelled His oath not to let Moses enter the
Holy Land seeing that he had become the instrument of sanctifying the name of G‑d
on such a scale. As a result, Moses would have entered the Holy Land, would
have built the Temple, and the Jewish people would have lived there
permanently, trouble free. Israel’s sin at this stage then had prevented all
these scenarios from occurring.
Peace Between
the Nations
We
Jews have long memories for those who have afflicted us and all those who made our
desert stay less hospitable.
Translated and annotated
by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin from PaRDeS HaBahir
For an explanation of the methodology
of this series, see the introduction.
"G‑d said to me, Do not
distress the Moabites, and do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you
any of their land [as] an inheritance,
because I have given Ar to the children of Lot [as] an
inheritance." (Deut. 2:9)
Peshat (basic meaning):
Rashi:"and do not provoke them to war"
G‑d forbade Israel only
to wage war against Moab. However, Israel did frighten them, appearing
before them armed for battle. Therefore, it is written, "Moab was
very frightened of the people" (Num. 22:3) because
Israel plundered and looted them. Regarding the children of Amon, however,
it says, "Do not provoke them" (verse 19) with any
kind of provocation, as a reward for the modesty shown by their ancestress
[Lot’s younger daughter] who did not publicize her father’s conduct, as did his
elder daughter who named her son Moab ["from the father"]
"Ar": The name of the province.
...they parted in order to maintain peace between them.
Remez (hinted meaning):
Baal HaTurim: referring to "Thus they parted one from his brother,
Avram", (Gen. 13:11-12) in Hebrew, "Ish
me'al achiv Avram"
The final letters of the four
words: "shin-lamed-vav-mem" spell the word "Shalom"/peace.
This tells you they parted in order to maintain peace between them. He also
alluded to them that in the future there would be peace between the nations
that descended from Abraham and Lot, and that the way to maintain
this peace would be to maintain distance between them, which is why they were
commanded, "Do not distress the Moabites".
Derash (interpretive meaning):
Tzeror HaMor: This hints that as soon as the exile
under Edom ends, Mashiach, who is from Ruth the
Moabite, will make his appearance and usher in the golden age for the Jewish
people. Seeing that the immediate cause of redemption will be a descendant of
Moab, the Torah forbade harassing the Moabites.
Sod (esoteric, mystical meaning):
Zohar Balak 188:
One day, the friends were sitting and contending with each other. Rabbi
Elazar, Rabbi Aba, Rabbi Hiya, Rabbi Yosi and the rest of the friends were
present. They said that it is written: "Do not harass Moab, nor contend
with them in battle..." (Deut. 2:9) That was for the sake of Ruth [ancestor
of King David — Ed.] and Na'ama [future wife of King Solomon —
Ed], who were destined to come from their midst. Tzipora, the wife of Moses who
came from Midian, and Jethro and his offspring, who came out
of Midian,
who were all truly just, most certainly. Furthermore, Moses grew up in Midian
and still, the Holy One, blessed be He, told him, "Execute the
vengeance of the children of Israel on the Midianites". (Num. 31:2) Therefore,
there is an inappropriate bias in this matter, since Midian appeared more
worthy to be saved than Moab.
Midian appeared more worthy to be saved than Moab.
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
We Jews have long memories. We remember and recount yearly those who have
afflicted us: Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, all whom were part of our
exiles. Amalek, Moab, Midian, Og, Sichon, all of whom made our desert
stay less hospitable.
With Amalek, considered
"the first of the [enemy] nations", we even have a special Shabbat dedicated
to remembering:
1) what he did to us
2) to obliterate all traces of him on earth
3) not to forget him [see Deut.
25:17-19]
each of the three a separate mitzvah counted among the 613!
At the same time and on the other hand, we are prohibited from such
intolerance towards the Egyptians who "housed" us for 210 years, or
from our "brother" Edom or Esau,
due to family ties.
Our present verse concerns the Midianites. The Zohar goes on at length
questioning why we're OK with Moab but not Midian, since:
· Moses spent some 40 years in Midian
· his wife Tzipora was from there
· our beloved Jethro was
the high priest there —
all these three truly righteous people.
Perhaps it is as the commentators and the Zohar conclude, it is all in the merit
of Ruth, great grandmother to King David, and Na'ama, the wife of King David's
son, Solomon. From there comes the distinction with a
difference!
Mashiach--our Messiah—will have sprung from these 2 women's loins,
the direct causation of the redemption of the world.
For this, we can forgive some of their inappropriate behavior.
For this, G‑d can command us not to harass them.
For out of the abominable incest Mo-Ab, "from Father," the daughter
of Lot who plied him with liquor and slept with him with the pure intent to
promote the human race, from there will come our pure Mashiach.
We can forgive, but we can never forget. And we are commanded here to also
remember not to forget Moab, from where the future redemption will have
originated.
Whenever in
Doubt
For
something from which one can derive personal gain, one will search for some way
to permit even the forbidden.
From the teachings of
the Baal Shem Tov
"If any case is too difficult
for you, bring it to me...." (Deut. 1:17)
The Baal Shem Tov used to
cite a teaching of the Ramban (Nachmanides), who advised his son the
following: "Whenever there are various possible options of how to go about
doing something, and you are in doubt as to which is the best way, or if you
are in doubt whether or not doing it is G‑d's will, in which case it
should be done, or it is against His will, in which case it should not, this is
what you should do. First of all, detach yourself from any personal gain or
honor you might derive from this action. Only then can you objectively weigh
the options, for if it is something from which one can derive personal gain,
one will search to find some way to permit even the forbidden. But if you do as
said, G·d will guide you to the truth and you can feel secure that you
are doing the right thing."
...if you don't know how or whether
at all to do something, the doubt is arising from within you...
The Baal Shem Tov employed this teaching of the Ramban to explain the
[inner] meaning of the verse [quoted above]. "If any case is too
difficult for you," that is, if you don't know how or whether at all
to do something, the doubt is arising from within you because of the personal
gain that you would derive from doing it. Therefore, detach yourself from the
personal gain you would derive from doing it, and "bring it to Me"
- that is, intend to do it for the sake of Heaven, without any motive for
personal gain. Then [as the verse concludes], "I will hear it." I
will make it heard - I will give that person the understanding how to behave.
Note:
The Baal Shem Tov
adds to the Ramban's teaching that all doubts and difficulties we confront in
life arise from our being out of touch with G·d and with our deepest
selves. Instead, we live superficially, from momentary and ephemeral physical
pleasure to the next momentary and ephemeral emotional gain, completely out of
touch with what our souls deeply crave and need. We are thus torn in different
directions at once, for we all have conflicting desires and interests. Only
when we are able to see through those pleasures and gains, and touch with our
deepest needs and with G·d, are we able to act assuredly from a place of
Truth. (Sefat Emet, Deuteronomy 5631; Likutim,
Lech Lecha)
Chasidic Masters
Inspirational insights from the
Baal Shem Tov and Hasidic leaders of succeeding generations
Blessed Are
You…
A
person should consider the words of Torah always fresh.
Adapted from the
works of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi
The verse "…And these words
[the Torah] which I command you this day [shall be upon your heart]"(Deut. 6:6) means
that a person should consider the words of Torah always
fresh and relevant to him or her, as though he or she received the Torah anew
each and every day - as our sages teach, "Every day, they should be new in
your eyes." (Sifri on the above verse, 33, quoted by the
classic commentator Rashi in his explanation of Deut. 26:16)
To understand how a person can surpass
mere platitude and achieve this feeling genuinely, we need to realize why it
was necessary for the soul to descend into this physical world. After all, was
not the soul, which originated in the loftiest heights (even higher than
angels) perfectly well off as it was? What does it gain by being born into a
body, even if it does live a life of Torah and mitzvot?
The answer is hinted at in the wording
of the prayer Elo-hai Neshama, which we recite upon
awakening every morning. It reads as follows: "My G‑d, the soul that
You have placed into me is pure. You created it; You formed it; You breathed it
into me; and You preserve it within me .… As long as the soul is within me, I
give thanks before you, O G‑d …. Blessed are You, G‑d,
Who restores souls to dead bodies."
The reference to the soul as
"pure" alludes to its origin in the supernal purity of heaven (see Zohar I,
15a). The expression "You created it" is a reference to G‑d having brought
the soul as we now know it into being out of nothingness. This is the first of
many spiritual steps allowing for the possibility of actual investiture of the
soul within a physical body: "You breathed it into me." But even this
last is not all there is to it; the soul's character remains spiritual and its
natural tendency is to leave the body and return to G‑d. Accordingly, it is
necessary for G‑d to exert some "supervision" over the soul, watching
over it and preserving it in its bodily form. This is what is meant by
"You preserve it within me".
As soon as we regain consciousness in the morning, we must adopt G‑d's
perspective, the true perspective, on reality….
The above corresponds to G‑d's relation
to the world as immanent within Creation, responsible for the individual nature
and details of every thing - and also as transcendent, exerting influence from
above, as it were, without investing Himself within the specifics of the
universe. The prayer goes on to express thanks to G‑d, and concludes with the
traditional form of blessing, "Blessed are You, etc." In Talmudic
times, this prayer was the very first thing uttered upon awakening from
sleep (see Berachot 60b); it was thus the beginning and
foundation of our worship for the entire day.
In the Elo-hai Neshama prayer,
the expression, "I give thanks to You" is "modeh ani l'fanecha".
The Hebrew language does not have a word that is precisely equivalent to the
English "thanks"; the concept of "thanks" is expressed by
the word "hoda'ah" (of which "modeh" is a
form), which literally denotes "concession" or "admission".
That is, one who has received something "concedes" his or her
indebtedness to the benefactor. Yet the word "hoda'ah" carries
(as do its English equivalents) an implication of prior dispute; one side is
now conceding to the other, as in the Talmudic expression, "the
Sages concede ['modim'] to Rabbi Meir". This
being the case, and in light of the fact that the Hebrew language is the
"Holy Tongue", whose every nuance is meaningful, we must ask how the
expression "hoda'ah" is appropriate as applied to G‑d. What
possible "difference of opinion", as it were, could exist between G‑d
and us insignificant mortals, that we should "concede" to Him upon
awakening from sleep?
The answer, however, is not really that
difficult, for indeed, one may identify two conflicting perspectives on the
universe. It appears to us (albeit due to our own inadequate perception) that
our earthly existence is "reality" and anything we cannot see or
touch is only "ideal", "imagination", or some such term.
Thus, even with the best of intentions, we speak of having been created by G‑d
"something out of nothing" ("yesh me'ayin") -
as though we are the "something" and G‑d is
the "nothing". But, of course, that is a fundamental mistake.
G‑d's perspective is exactly the
opposite: it is He Who is the true existence, the true "Something",
and we who are but "nothing" before Him. Thus, the very foundation of
our worship is to "concede" this point to G‑d: as soon as we regain
consciousness in the morning, we must adopt G‑d's perspective, the true
perspective, on reality.
Each and every Jew has it within him or her to achieve…this recognition
of His truth….
Each and every Jew has it within him or
her to achieve this "concession" to G‑d, this recognition of His
truth. However, this is not to say that everyone has fully internalized this
idea; unfortunately, that may not be so at all. "Hoda'ah" does
not imply that one has thoroughly embraced and internalized the proposition in
question, has become suffused with a realization of its certainty. "Hoda'ah"
simply means that one admits and recognizes that this must be so, but one can
still be quite remote from a true internalization of the idea. In this respect,
"hoda'ah" corresponds to the "transcendence"
discussed earlier: the idea is not really one's own, it does not pervade one
through and through, it may be thought of as something taken on faith, which
transcends one's own reason.
On the other hand, the Hebrew word for
"blessing", "b'racha", connotes drawing down from above
to the point of being internalized. For example, the Talmud (Berachot 7a) tells
of an incident involving the High Priest Rabbi Yishmael, son of Elisha,
who related, "Once, I went in to offer up the incense in the Holy of
Holies, and I beheld [G‑d] sitting on a high and exalted throne. He said to me,
'Yishmael, My son, bless Me.'" Although in context, this Talmudic
narrative teaches us not to take the blessing of an ordinary person lightly
(even G‑d Himself valued the blessing of Rabbi Yishmael,
a mortal), it has deeper, mystical significance. G‑d did not really need
Rabbi Yishmael's
blessing, of course; rather, the word "barcheini" -
"bless Me" - is to be understood in its elemental sense of
"through your worship, accomplish the drawing down of My holiness even
into the physical world."
Likewise, we find the expression
"Blessed is G‑d from world to world" (Psalms
106:48), which does not mean so much "May G‑d receive a
'blessing'" as "May G‑d's holiness be revealed and transmitted down
to us from the lofty spiritual world known as 'Alma D'itkasya' (the 'hidden
realm', so called because it is beyond our ability to perceive) into this world
in which we live, known as 'Alma D'isgalya' (the 'revealed world', that
is, in which G‑d's manifestation takes a form more accessible to our limited
perception)."
It is love of G‑d that motivates performance of mitzvot….
The point is that although we start our
prayers with 'hoda'ah" - recognition of G‑d's truth, even if only
as an article of faith - we must work towards achieving "b'racha", the
point at which the knowledge of G‑d's true perspective is as certain to us as
if we could actually see it.
This is to be accomplished in the
Standing Prayer. For this to happen, we need what was referred to in the verse
quoted earlier: "and these words [i.e. the Torah], which I command you
this day". For it is only through Torah and mitzvot (which cannot be
performed by souls in Heaven, but only in this life) that one can draw G‑d down
to an immanent, "internal" level. And this in turn depends upon the
prior verse, "And you shall love G‑d your G‑d": it is love of G‑d
that motivates performance of mitzvot. These verses are recited in the Shema prayer,
which comes before the Standing Prayer - in order to progress from the level of
"hoda'ah" to the level of "b'racha", one
must attain love along the way.
In the Shema, the
abovementioned verses are preceded by the verses, "Hear O Israel, G‑d
is our G‑d, G‑d is One" and "Blessed is the name of His glorious
kingdom forever and ever". Another way to understand the characterization
of Creation as "something out of nothing" is that G‑d Himself is so
exalted, so utterly above all, that Creation can only be attributed to Him in
the same way that the projects of a king are attributable to him: the king
commands, for example, that a bridge be erected or a city built, and those
things are done without his ever having physically lifted a shovel -
nevertheless they are considered the king's deeds, the king's accomplishments,
for they reflect glory upon the king even though he was not personally
involved.
Similarly, G‑d's creation of the
universe is said to be a function of His attribute of malchut, for
He Himself is exalted above Creation, yet brought it all into being by His
command. The expression creation out of "nothing" can be understood
to allude to this idea: the spiritual level that is the source of our creation
is itself "nothing" as compared to G‑d's actual "Self"
(allegorically speaking). And this is the inner meaning of "Blessed is the
name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever": the Hebrew word for
"forever", "l'olam", also means "world";
the implication being that it is "the name of G‑d's glorious
kingdom", His attribute of malchut, or sovereignty,
that allows for the creation of all worlds.
We can supercede this natural order and draw down into the world an
element of the transcendent aspect of G‑d….
However, the above - that Creation
stems from "nothing" in the sense that everything is rooted "only"
in G‑d's attribute of malchut - only describes the state of
affairs G‑d has seen fit to establish as the usual order of spiritual
progression. There is an advantage in Torah and mitzvot in that, through them,
we can supercede this natural order and draw down into the world an element of
the transcendent aspect of G‑d. That is why the Shema prayer
goes on to include the verse "and these words [i.e. the Torah], which I
command you this day". The Hebrew word for "I" in this verse is
"Anochi", which implies a level of G‑dliness so
deep, as it were, that it cannot be expressed by any divine name; G‑d is simply
"I". The word for "[I] command you", "m'tzav'cha", implies
connection, attachment. The verse is thus saying that through "these words
[of Torah]", you are literally connected and attached to, not merely G‑d's
attribute of malchut, a relatively "superficial"
manifestation of G‑dliness, but that lofty and inexpressible level of G‑d's
"personal" Self (allegorically speaking) that can only be referred to
as "I". This can only be accomplished "this day" - i.e. in
this life, wherein we have the opportunity to study Torah and perform mitzvot.
That is another aspect of what is meant
by the feeling that the Torah is fresh and new "every day": that
through the entirety of "this day", that is, our present, worldly
life, one should value the Torah and mitzvot because they represent one's
opportunity to break free of the boundaries and limitations of this world and
the entire fixed order of spiritual progression and link up with the
transcendence of G‑d.
Jewish philosophy associates the right chamber of the heart with joy and
the left chamber with regret….
This also sheds light on the Shema's
exhortation to "love G‑d your G‑d with all your hearts". The plural
("hearts") is used instead of the singular, despite the singular
context of the rest of the verse, a fact which our sages explain (see Berachot 54a; Sifri ch.
32) as meaning that one should love G‑d with both chambers of one's heart.
Jewish philosophy associates the right chamber of the heart with joy and the
left chamber with regret and bitterness. In that light, the verse means that
one should love G‑d to the point that the true recognition that "G‑d"
is "your G‑d" - that is, that the lofty spiritual level associated
with the divine name Havayah (the first word used in the verse
for "G‑d") should be so close to you that you relate to G‑d on this level
as Elo-hecha (the second word for "G‑d"); your own,
personal G‑d - should be expressed in both extremes of your emotions:
bitterness over the recognition of how low one is mired in this physical world
and its temptations, and at the same time, joy over the priceless opportunity
to transcend all that through Torah and mitzvot. And the greater the bitterness
one feels over distance from G‑d, the greater the joy at the revelation of G‑dliness
though mitzvot.
Shabbat of
Vision
The
greatest joys emerge from the lowest of spiritual states.
Intermediate
The Shabbat before Tisha B'Av is
called "Shabbat Chazon". Rabbi Shlomo of
Radomsk writes that it is the most important Shabbat of the year. He bases his
thoughts on the verse:
"Then the Land will enjoy [or be
appeased for] its Sabbaths." (Lev. 26:34) The
verse hints at the greatness of Shabbat in general and Shabbat Chazon in
particular. On Shabbat there is a special unity between G‑d and the
Jews. This weekly island of unity is very precious, and a source of great joy
to G‑d during this long,
dismal period of exile of the Jewish people.
When the Temple was standing,
this unity was readily apparent and existed even during the week. And even
though the strength of the unification was greater on Shabbat,
because it was already on a very high level during the week, it wasn't an
appreciable greater source of joy.
When Shabbat comes…the Jews are able to renew their connection once
again with G‑d….
Now that the Temple is no longer
standing and we are in exile and distanced from G‑d, there is an understandable
lack of unity. When Shabbat comes and the Jews are able to renew their
connection once again with G‑d, he has even more joy than he did at the time
when the Temple was standing. From darkness to light, G‑d especially rejoices
in this unity with His people.
By way of example, this idea can be
compared to a flashlight in the daytime. Even the strongest beam is superfluous
compared to the light of the sun. Only when the sun's light fades and darkness
sets in is the beam of the flashlight visible.
Now we can understand the verse,
"Then the land will enjoy [or be appeased for] its Sabbaths." During
the period of exile after the destruction of the Temple, Shabbat is what G‑d
desires. His desire and source of joy is unity with the Jewish people and this
is realized principally on Shabbat.
With this we have a beautiful insight
into the words of the Lecha Dodi poem which is sung on Shabbat
evenings: "…Rav Lach Shevet B'emek HaBacha…", "Too
long have you dwelt in the Valley of Weeping." It can be read
alternatively, "Great is the Shabbat in the midst of weeping." Great
is the Shabbat during this time of bitter exile.
Why? Because it is a moment of unity
between G‑d and the Jewish people.
According to the magnitude of G‑d's pain is the greatness of His joy….
In addition, "the valley of
weeping" can be understood to refer to the 3 weeks between the
17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av. Great are the Shabbats during
these three weeks above any other of the year, and the Shabbat closest to
the 9th of Av more
than all. According to the magnitude of G‑d's pain is the greatness of His joy.
The above can also provide us with
insight into understanding a Midrash from Midrash Pliah (a
certain collection of extremely difficult to understand Midrashim),
which states, "There has never been a holiday in Israel like the
day that the Temple was destroyed."
In addition, this Shabbat is called
"Shabbat Chazon" after the first word of the book
of Isaiah which is the Haftorah for thisShabbat.
"Chazon" means "vision" or "seeing". This
Shabbat, if observed with joy and concentration, maximizes the possibility for
unity with G‑d. One may benefit from this state of unity and be granted an
opportunity for unique and penetrating vision into not only his personal
spiritual status, but also into that of the entirety of the Jewish people as
well.
Senseless hatred is therefore equal to transgressing all three of the
cardinal prohibitions….
To this end it must be added, the
destruction of the Temple was not only a national and physical destruction but
also a personal and emotional one. The Talmud (Yoma 9b) explains
that the First Temple was destroyed because the Jews had degenerated into
widespread violations of the prohibitions against idol worship, sexual sins,
and wanton bloodshed. During the time of the Second Temple, in spite of the
fact that the nation had completely repented for those three cardinal
transgressions, they were nevertheless constantly at odds with one another in
an endless cycle of unfounded and senseless hatred.
The Talmud concludes that
the transgression of senseless hatred is therefore equal to transgressing all
three of the cardinal prohibitions. Therefore, our mourning on Tisha
B'Av must include mourning for the great spiritual and personal loss
of our higher selves; a loss that we are still trying to recover from even
today.
May this Shabbat Chazon grant
us the vision with which to set out on the path of return to G‑d. May we be
able to learn His Torah and engage in His mitzvot with love
for Him and for our fellow Jews - with a love that knows no bounds, nor needs
any other justification than that we are all one people. May we soon experience
the 9th of Av as a true holiday for
us and for the whole world - an ascent from the Valley of Weeping until the
mountain of G‑d in joy and peace.
Layered
Critique
According
to Kabbalah, hidden blessings need less protection.
Advanced
From
the teachings of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (The "Tzemach
Tzedek")
Moses' words in the first few verses
of parashat Devarim are somewhat cryptic. They appear to
be a description of some of the travels and encampments of the Israelites.
But the commentators read them as a camouflaged criticism of the nation: the
names of the places mentioned allude to the nation's failings and sins,
says Rashi.
Moses wished to gauge their openness to rebuke….
Why the subterfuge? Rashi explains
that it was for the dignity of Israel that Moses concealed their sins
in ambiguous phrases. It has, however, been pointed out that later the leader's
reproach grows more explicit: "Rebels have you been with the G‑d!
Inciters have you been…!" Others therefore explain that Moses wished to
gauge their openness to rebuke. When they proved comfortable with his indirect
references to their shortcomings, he dispensed with the subtleties. But this
answer, too, is not completely satisfying.
Kabbalistically, the two modes of
rebuke offered by Moses addressed two different elements within the psyche of
his listeners: the "hidden" and the "revealed". The hidden
was addressed indirectly - while the revealed was addressed directly.
Hidden and revealed
The Zohar divides the many
spiritual "worlds" into two general categories: the hidden world,
called "Alma D'itkasya", and the revealed world, "Alma
D'itgalya". These worlds are the primordial root of the hidden and
revealed aspects of the human system.
The divine name Havayah is
thus split in two: yud-hei and vav-hei. Yud-hei embodies
the hidden world, vav-kei the revealed. The yud embodies chochma,
the hei, bina. Vav-hei embodies the
revealed world: vav embodies the six emotions (middot), hei embodies malchut,
the lowest sefira.
With revelation also comes susceptibility to corruption….
When something is called
"hidden" this means that it exists in a purer, less defined form than
in "the revealed". "Revealed" connotes a more coarsened
form of the original. Along with revelation also comes susceptibility to corruption
and the possibility that the divine light will be improperly siphoned by
negative and dead energies.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi compares
the hidden world to the drop, which contains, in an undefined form, all the
elements of the future human that will grow from it. (Torah Ohr 6b) As
the fetus develops within the womb, the drop is revealed and defined. The more
developed the fetus, the more "impurities" it accrues, such as nails
and hair (which are "dead" entities). When it is completely formed it
begins to excrete, whereas as long as it is in the womb it does not excrete.
Similarly, in the hidden world there
are no impurities. In the revealed world, especially in the lowest elements
thereof, impurity and "death" can find a home.
In this way, Rabbi Shneur Zalman
explains a Talmudic rule regarding the various formulas of the blessings. (Jerusalem
Talmud, Berachot 1:8) The Talmud states that a
short blessing begins with "baruch" (meaning
"blessed") but need not end in "baruch". A long
blessing, by contrast, begins and "is sealed" with "baruch".
One should accept all situations cheerfully….
Kabbalistically, the short blessing,
which says much in few words, corresponds to the hidden world, where all exists
in undefined form. The long blessing corresponds to the revealed world, where
all is spelled out. Now the word "baruch", which in its deeper
meaning means to draw forth, evokes the drawing forth of the energy of whatever
is spoken of in the blessing. Thus the longer blessing, which evokes the divine
energies of the revealed world, requires a "baruch" at its end
to "seal" the blessing and ensure that these energies are directed to
proper and holy channels. By contrast, the blessing that evokes the energies of
the hidden world needs only one "baruch" in the beginning to
begin the flow.
Ironically, the lack of impurity in the
hidden world often appears to us in a negative light. Rabbi Shneur Zalman
explains in Tanya that all that occurs in This World is
generated from on High. (chapter 26) The misfortunes that a person
experiences do not stem from an evil place, but rather from the hidden world.
When the energies of the hidden world are expressed in this world they may take
the form of what we consider "misfortune". The Talmud therefore
states that one should accept all situations cheerfully: those perceived as
good as well as those perceived as bad. (Berachot 48b)
Thus King David proclaims:
"Happy is the man whom You chastise, O G‑d". (Psalms
94:12) The name of G‑d used in this verse is "Y-ah"
(spelled yud-hei), since it is yud-hei, the hidden
world, that generates what we perceive as chastisement.
The Soul
The soul of man, which is created in
the Divine Image, also possesses a hidden and revealed world. One aspect of the
soul, the "hidden world" remains aloof from the body, while the other
aspect, the "revealed world" manifests itself inside the body.
The Kabbala describes the
soul as having five attributes, which in turn are divided in two:
Chaya and Yechida are
the aspects of the soul that remain beyond the body, while Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama are
manifest within it.
The wise need only a hint….
Chaya and Yechida are
alluded to in the yud of the
name Havayah. Chaya is
the body of the yud, while Yechida is represented
in the serif at the tip of the yud. (Yechida, which means
"alone" and "unique", is the most sublime aspect of the
soul and is therefore alluded to in a mere serif, since its sublimity all but
escapes expression.) Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama are
represented in the other three letters: the vav and the
two hei's.
So Moses' indirect rebuke addressed
the Chaya-Yechida of the people - as our sages say,
"the wise [need only] a hint" (Zohar I:26b,
III:280b and Midrash Shmuel 22:15,22) while the direct
rebuke addressed their coarser element, which is manifest in the body and
animal soul, Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama.
Abba and Imma, Zeir Anpin and Nukva
In Kabbalistic terminology, Moses'
indirect rebuke is described as rooted in gevura of Abba and Imma.
Its purpose was to rectify the Abba and Imma of
the nation. The direct rebuke, by contrast, stems from gevura of Zeir
Anpin and Nukva and served to rectify the Zeir Anpin and Nukva of
the people.
(Abba and Imma refer
to the mind of a being and are therefore together called "the hidden
world". The six emotions as well as Malchut, which is
identified with action, are called "the revealed world", since their
activities are more apparent to an outsider.)
All of Israel
This explains an enigma in the first
verse of Devarim: "And
these are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel."
The biblical commentator Kli Yakar points out that
this is one of two instances in the Torah where
Moses is described as addressing "all of Israel". Why so?
According to the above, it is understood that the verse means to say that with
his words Moses addressed all of Israel, meaning every aspect
of their being. Indeed the Hebrew word for "all", "kol",
is made up of the letters kaf and lamed, which
have the "small" numerical values of 2 and 3, respectively. The caf therefore
alludes to the two hidden aspects of the soul, Chaya and Yechida,
while the lamed alludes
to the three revealed aspects, Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama.
Secret
Intentions
At
the last moments before his death, Moshe extols the tribe of Gad for their
deeply loving choice.
The children of Israel are en
route to the Land of Canaan when they are attacked by the armies of
Sichon and Og, whose domain lay on the eastern bank of the Jordanian
river. Moses leads the Israelites into battle, defeats the
two kings and conquers their land. Right after that, in an unexpected turn of
events, the tribes of Gad and Reuben, who own an enormous amount
of sheep and cattle, ask that they be given these territories, which were prime
pastureland, in lieu of their allotment in the land of Canaan,
which lay to the west of the Jordan.
The Bible relates in this week’s
portion:1 "The
descendants of Reuben and Gad had
an extremely large number of animals. And they saw that the Ya’azer and Gilead
areas were good for livestock. The descendants of Gad and Reuben came and
presented the following petition to Moses… ‘If we have found
favor in your eyes, may this land be given to your servants for a possession;
do not take us across the Jordan.'"
Moses...gives them a fiery and dramatic
sermon...
Moses becomes extremely upset. He gives them a fiery and dramatic sermon that
lasts ten complete verses, a pretty long stretch in biblical narrative.
"Shall your brothers go to war
while you sit here?" Moses
thunders. "Why do you dissuade the heart of the children of
Israel from crossing to the land that G‑d has given them"?
Forty years earlier, he reminds them, the people of Israel had been poised to
enter the land of Canaan. But following a negative report by the spies who were
sent to scout the land, the entire nation spurned the land promised to their
ancestors as the eternal heritage of Israel. G‑d decreed that they
remain in the desert for forty years, until that entire generation died out and
a new generation prepared to accept the gift and challenge of the Promised
Land. And now, said Moses to the Reubenites and the Gadites, you are repeating
the sin of the Spies — a sin which condemned an entire generation and stopped
Jewish history in its tracks for forty years. Like your parents before you, you
are about to dissuade the heart of your brethren from entering the land.
"You will destroy this entire
nation," Moses concludes his passionate
rebuke.
The Reubenites and Gadites accept Moses’ words with grace. In response, they
clarify their original position. Far from seeking to free themselves from the
impending wars for the Land, they were fully prepared to send their troops into
the Land and take a leading role in the battles until they were successfully
concluded. Only then would they return to the lands allotted to them in the
east.
"We will not return to our
homes until every Israelite has received his Inheritance," they pledge.
Moses consents to their plea. He changes his tone and grants them the
territories they requested.
Several points in this narrative are
perplexing.
First, since their intentions it seems, were really pure (they never had in
mind to abandon their brethren going to war), how did Moses misread them so
profoundly and grow so furious with them? Why did Moses not first inquire what
their intentions were before coming down so hard on them?
G‑d wanted the Jews to settle the
land at the west of the Jordan!
Second, Moses’ words focused on the point that it was unacceptable that one
segment of Jewry isolates from the rest of the nation, shirking responsibility
and escaping the fate of their brethren. But what about the seemingly more
important point: G‑d wanted the Jews to settle the land at the west of the
Jordan! These people decided that they wish to remain in the Trans-Jordan, but
who gave these two tribes the right to redefine the plan and choose the East
instead of the West? Why did Moses consent to their request?
Searching for the Sub-plot
Every serious student of the Hebrew
Bible is aware that most biblical plots contain sub-plots (often sub-sub
plots), rarely articulated in the narrative explicitly. Our present tale is no
exception. The explicit narrative is about two tribes of Israel concerned with
their enormous amount of livestock. Yet the drama in which this episode is
captured in the Torah somehow gives one a sense that these tribes
were not only concerned about their cattle; something very personal was at
stake in their request to remain in the Trans-Jordan. What was it?
The Bible gives us no hint. There is no way of knowing. We are left in the dark
until Moses is about to leave the world.
In the last section of Deuteronomy, just moments before his passing, Moses
speaks to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. His words to the tribe of Gad
must be heeded carefully: "He chose the first portion, for that
is where the lawgiver’s plot is hidden." (Deuteronomy
33:21)
Gad pined to remain with Moses.
These brief cryptic words, at last,
expose to us the true reason behind Gad’s insistence to settle the territory to
the East of the Jordan. Moses, the lawgiver, was destined to die in the East
and never to cross the Jordan. Gad pined to remain with Moses. Gad would not
allow Moses’ burial plot to remain isolated in the plains of Moab devoid
of the presence of even a single Jew.
The cry of Gad and Reuben: "Do not take us across the Jordan," was
a plea not to separate them from Moses.2 If Moses is not destined
to cross the river, they too did not wish to cross it.3 These were no mere farmers worrying about
real-estate. These were souls so deeply attached to their Rebbe who
were determined to spend their lives near the resting place of Moses.4
Moses, clearly, did not anticipate such
a movement. When the members of the tribes of Gad and Reuben approached him
with their request, they naturally could not communicate the entire truth. They
would not talk to Moses about his own death and his gravesite. Instead, they
discussed secondary, albeit not dishonest, motivations, namely the fate of
their abundant cattle.
Moses, in his intuition, felt that what they were expressing to him did not
capture the entire story. Moses sensed that their words eclipsed a deeper
truth. He thus suspected them in contriving a scheme designed to escape
responsibility. Hence, he rebuked them severely.
Yet surprisingly, they accepted Moses’ words in grace. The narrative makes it
clear that they were not upset by the false accusations Moses thrust upon them.
Why not?
Because they knew that they were not being straightforward. Above all, this was
not about them and their ego; it was about their selfless love and dedication
to Moses. His fury did not alienate them, it merely demonstrated once again the
genuine leader Moses was and strengthened their resolve to remain in his
proximity for eternity.
Moses agreed to fulfill their request. He could not tear himself away from the
people he dedicated his life to. If his people reciprocated the love he showered
upon them, he would not be the one to expel them from his midst. And at the
last moments before his death, he extols Gad for this deeply loving choice.5
Yet, after all is said, rabbinic
commentary does criticize the Reubenites and Gadites for their decision to
remain in the Trans-Jordan. The verse in Proverbs, "If an inheritance
is seized hastily in the beginning, its end will not be blessed," (20:21) is
applied in the Midrash (Bamidbar Raba 22:7-9) to
the two tribes who seized the territory to the East of the Jordan. Centuries
later, when the Jews are exiled from their land through the Assyrian and later
Babylonian empires, it is these two tribes who are the first to be exiled from
their land.
Why?
Notwithstanding the noble and deeply moving intentions of Gad and Reuben, their
choice is considered "hasty" and immature. It was emotionally
compelling, but spiritually short sighted.
They failed to realize that Moses’
true presence would not remain interred in the earth...
Yes, Gad and Reuben could not abandon Moses’ burial place. They were determined
to remain in the proximity of Moses’ body. For this the Torah relates
their story in detail, and they are recalled with great fondness. Yet,
notwithstanding their powerful emotions of love, they made an error. They
failed to realize that Moses’ true presence would not remain interred in the
earth of the plains of Moab.6 Moses would continue to live on in his
vision, in his ideas, in his teachings, and in the disciples who continued his
vision and ideals. Moses' vision was that the Jewish people should fulfill
their G‑d given mandate to enter the Land of Canaan, settle it and transform it
into a Holy Land, redefining the physical landscape of the soil of Canaan as an
abode for G‑dliness.
Moses was never comprised of simple matter so that his identity would be
defined merely in terms of his physical body. (See Tanya Igeret
HaKodesh sections 27-28) Moses’ life embodied a truth, a vision,
a way of looking at the world and understanding the objective of man's journey
on this earth. As long as that truth would live in the hearts of people
dedicated to Moses’ dream of transforming the earthy land of Canaan into a
divine home, Moses would remain alive. (See Sota 13b; Taanit 5b; Berachot 18a)
The same is true concerning all of our
loved ones who pass on. Part of us craves to remain connected to their physical
bodies. After all, that was the person we knew: A soul cloaked in a body. But,
sad as it may be, a body does not live forever. If we internalize the ideals,
values, love and dreams of our loved ones, then a piece of them remains alive.
It continues to live through us.
Contemporary
Kabbalists
Penetrating insights from leading
Kabbalists & mystics of our times
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
Back to the
Land
Deuteronomy
teaches us to keep the Torah relevant and alive.
Intermediate
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
A striking feature of the book of Deuteronomy is
its literary form. Unlike the preceding four books, in Deuteronomy (with
the exception of just a few passages at the beginning and end) Moses speaks
in the first person. The phrase we have heard continuously in the preceding
books: “And G‑d spoke to Moses, saying...” is
almost entirely absent from Deuteronomy.
...Deuteronomy is G‑d’s words transmitted through Moses...
This naturally raises the question of
the theological stature of this book. The Sages tell us that although Moses
transmitted the first four books from G‑d verbatim, while by contrast he said
Deuteronomy “in his own name,” in doing so, “the divine presence spoke from his
mouth.” In other words, the book of Deuteronomy is no less divine than the
first four books of the Torah, but whereas the first four books are G‑d’s
words transmitted directly by Moses, Deuteronomy is G‑d’s
words transmitted through Moses. But if this is the case, why
the sudden change in literary genre between the first four books and the final
one?
The answer to both these questions
hinges on the fact that this book is addressed to the generation that will
enter the Land of Israel. The abrupt change in lifestyle, from a nation of
nomads sustained by G‑d’s supernatural protection to a nation of farmers who
must work the land, called for a practical restatement of G‑d’s hitherto
abstract teachings.
…This is why it was necessary for the
book of Deuteronomy to be transmitted in the first person. By communicating the
message of Deuteronomy through the voice of Moses, G‑d was telling us that even
while remaining faithful to the Torah’s
objective truth, we must see its subjective relevance to each individual and
each generation.
Moses was the archetypal intermediary
between G‑d and man. His direct communication with G‑d had made him quite at
home in the spiritual dimension, but even on Mt. Sinai he had been able to
appreciate physicality enough to refute the angels who sought to keep the Torah
in heaven. An intermediary, however, can transmit the message he is given in
either of two ways: he can convey it verbatim, serving as a transparent channel
or funnel; or he can absorb it and thus be able to “translate” it into terms
more readily understood by the recipients.
Moses had...to attain a greater selflessness than was necessary when he
was transmitting the first four books...
For the first four books of the Torah,
it was enough for Moses to act as the first type of intermediary; the exalted
level of the generation of the desert allowed this. For the book of
Deuteronomy, however, the audience had changed. Moses now had to become the
second type of intermediary in order to ensure that G‑d’s message was fully
communicated.
In order to do this Moses had, in a
certain sense, to attain a greater selflessness than was necessary when he was
transmitting the first four books. In order that mediating G‑d’s words through
his voice not involve interposing his ego, it was crucial that his sense of
self be absolutely dissolved in his awareness of G‑d. Only by “existing,” so to
speak, within G‑d’s essence, could Moses paradoxically be both there enough
to serve as an intermediary yet not there enough to be the
transparent conduit for G‑d’s words.
In this sense, the first-person
narrative of Deuteronomy indicates not a lesser divinity than the other four
books but a greater, for the “I” of Deuteronomy is no less G‑d’s than Moses’!
The same applies to all of us when we set about uncovering the Torah’s
relevance: our success is predicated on our eliminating our egotistic motives
from the process.
The book of Deuteronomy is thus a
lesson in keeping the Torah alive and relevant, the means by which we can
recommence the study of the Torah on a new level of understanding. By ensuring
that the Torah remains eternally relevant, we can read it from an always deeper,
fresher, newer perspective, and thereby continually deepen, freshen and renew
our relationship with G‑d.
Torah for All
Humanity
It
is preferable to study the Torah in the original; nevertheless there is also an
advantage in studying it in secular languages.
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
"Moshe explained at length
the teachings…." (Deut. 1:5)
Rashi: In the seventy original languages.
The Jews preserved their knowledge and
use of Hebrew throughout their Egyptian exile. Although the non-Jewish mixed
multitude certainly did not speak Hebrew when they joined the Jews at the Exodus,
forty years in the company of the Israelites probably sufficed for
them to become fluent enough to understand it. And even if there were some who
still found Hebrew difficult, this still does not explain the need for Moses to
expound the Torah in all seventy original languages of humanity! We
must therefore conclude that this oral translation of the Torah –
as well as the later inscription of the Torah’s translation in those same
seventy languages – had a more profound spiritual purpose.
...this oral translation of the Torah...had a more profound spiritual
purpose.
Inasmuch as the Written Torah is the
explicit word of G‑d, logic would dictate that only studying the Torah in
the original is considered bona fide study, through which we fulfill the
commandment to study the Torah. After all, the subtle nuances of meaning and
implication inherent in the text – not to mention its allusive and mystical
subtexts – can only be noticed and appreciated in the original. Similarly,
since the Oral Torah was originally communicated by Moses in Hebrew, it
would seem that only studying it, too, in Hebrew should count as bona fide
Torah study. Therefore, by having Moses explain and inscribe the Torah in all
seventy languages, G‑d set the precedent for
all further Torah study in secular languages.
Although, for the reasons mentioned, it
is preferable to study the Torah in the original, there is nevertheless an
advantage in studying it in secular languages, namely, that using these
languages to study the Torah elevates and sanctifies them, at least while they
are being used for this purpose. Furthermore, expressing the Torah’s concepts
in secular idioms allows the sanctity and message of the Torah to permeate even
those layers of existence that are a priori antithetical or antagonistic to
Divine consciousness.
Studying the Torah in the vernacular
can also be seen as a reversal and rectification of the fall suffered by
reality in the generation of the Dispersion at the Tower of Babel. Prior to
this fall, all humanity spoke Hebrew, which, being the language of creation, is
uniquely suited to expressing the underlying Divine unity that permeates the
universe. In contrast, the other, derivative languages convey this subliminal
tenor to a much lesser degree. By using them to study the Torah, something of
the original linguistic-religious unity of humanity is restored.
The Royal
Palace
Only
oil produced in the Land of Israel proper possesses the requisite holiness for
use in the Temple.
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
"We conquered all his [Og’s] cities…sixty cities [including] all
the territory of Og’s
royal palace…." (Deut. 3:4)
In the original account of the conquest
of Bashan [Num. 21:33-35] the royal palace is not
mentioned. Only in the book of Deuteronomy, whose theme is the physical
and spiritual transition into the Land of Israel, does this detail become
significant. This is because the Land of Israel, relative to the rest of the
world, is "the royal palace," i.e. G‑d’s home on earth. When the
Jewish people conquered this area, they transformed it from the region of the
non-Jewish king’s palace into part of the palace of the true King - G‑d.
...the Land of Israel...is "the royal palace"...
Still, the Talmudic sages differ over
whether olive oil from this region – which is considered second in quality only
to oil produced in the Teko'a region of the Land of Israel – may be used for
the Temple service. (See Menachot 8:3) According
to one opinion, only oil produced in the Land of Israel proper possesses the
requisite holiness for use in the Temple. According to the other opinion, the
acquired holiness of the parts of Transjordan that were conquered (and thereby
sanctified) by the Jewish people suffices to qualify it for Temple use.
On a deeper level, this discussion
concerns the degree to which a person can abnegate his selfhood in the face of
G‑d’s reality when he is outside the Land of Israel.
Oil allegorically signifies the
attribute of selflessness (bitul), since it is produced by crushing
olives and is consumed in lamps that produce light. Light is necessary for
vision, and the soul’s inner vision (i.e. perception) is its ability to expand
its conceptual horizons by receiving new insight. The prerequisite for new
insight (chachmah) is selflessness, since a self-satisfied and
self-assured individual will not admit that his present way of looking at the
world is lacking anything. Thus, just as the consumption of oil antecedes
sight, selflessness antecedes insight.
We cannot achieve absolute selflessness
on our own, since any level of consciousness we can achieve on our own is our
own accomplishment and therefore an expression of our selfhood. Only when
graced by a revelatory experience that sweeps us up into transcendent awareness
can we lose ourselves completely. All we can achieve on our own is relative selflessness,
a lesser state of egocentricity than we evinced previously.
...the holiness of the Land of Israel is intrinsic whereas that of
Transjordan is acquired...
Thus, since the holiness of the Land of
Israel is intrinsic whereas that of Transjordan is acquired, it follows that
only the Land of Israel is conducive to achieving absolute selflessness and
true dissolution of the ego in awareness of G‑d.
The dissenting opinion agrees that the
degree of holiness attainable in Transjordan cannot compare to the intrinsic
holiness of the Holy Land. However, inasmuch as G‑d assented to the request of
the tribes of Reuben and Gad and gave them this land, it
also possesses a degree of intrinsic holiness and can therefore assist a person
in attaining virtual selflessness.
Ascent Lights
Contemporary
illuminations from Ascent-of-Safed's director, Rabbi Shaul Leiter, staff &
guest teachers
Don't Go
Around in Circles!
There
comes a time when growth means setting down roots.
Beginner
"The Lord your G‑d spoke
to us in Horeb saying, 'You have sojourned too long! Turn and travel and arrive
at the Amorite mountain and all of its neighbors'…." (Deut. 1:6)
The Book of Deuteronomy is
the fifth book of the Torah and is different than the first four.
In Deuteronomy, Moses gives
advice for spiritual survival, not only for the first generation that entered
the Holy Land but also for every generation afterwards, including (and
especially) us. In this week's portion, Moses quotes G‑d telling the Jewish
people, "You have sojourned too long!" (Deut. 1:6-7).
Our soul's natural inclination is to grow; "sojourning" alludes to
staying at one level without trying to move on to the next stage, i.e.
"going around in circles".
Even remaining at Sinai, sponging up Torah, is not the optimum….
The verse continues "…at this
mountain", referring to Mount Sinai. Even remaining at Sinai, sponging up
Torah, is not the optimum. We also have to make an impact on others,
influencing them for the better, especially those different or distant from
ourselves. Exclusively focusing on personal self-development, one's own
individual activities and embellishments only will eventually prevent a person
from advancing, and even to spiritually regress.
The passage continues, "…Turn
and travel and arrive at the Amorite mountain and all of its neighbors".
In Kabbala, the nation of Emor represents our negative side, that which
opposes holiness. By referring to the "Amorite mountain" we are
encouraged to perceive that negativity (bad character traits, keeping G‑d at a
distance, valuing the world over spirituality) like a mountain - difficult to
climb, out of our reach and not at all attractive. This is why the verse
emphasizes the word "arrive". Judaism is a specific journey;
the mitzvahs are taking us to a specific place. We are not meant to
meander around true spirituality, just to pass though. We are supposed to
arrive at the perception that the negative is an absolute barrier in front of
us. The classic source Tanna D'bai Eliyahu understands
"arriving" to mean taking it in, inheriting and integrating. In this
sense, the concept of inheritance reminds us that we are supposed to be
retaking the sparks that were lost, that only we have the potential to
liberate.
All of these days of mourning will be transformed into holidays and days
of happiness….
After all this is navigated
successfully, we come to the end of verse, "…until you come to the
great river, the Prat River". (Deut. 1:7) The
Prat River was far away from Israel, designating the expansion of Israel's
borders. Through the service of the above - distancing ourselves from negative
forces and positively influencing our environment - we will merit expanding
Israel's borders into the land of the Kini, Knizi, and Kadmoni. (From a
letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 1958)
Rabbi Chaim Vital, the Ari's main
student, explains the verse "The Lord your G‑d spoke to us in Horeb,
saying that the fact that G‑d spoke to the Jews in Horeb, where He gave them
the Torah, is what made them great. Through this, the Jews were then able to go
into Israel and defeat their enemies. So, the time had come that G‑d could say
to the Jews, "Turn and travel onwards".
The Shelah writes in
his commentary on Tractate Taanit (page 328) that the
weekly Torah readings are connected to the calendar events that happen around
them. The Shelah asks how can it be that the same three
portions, Matot, Masai and Devarim, are always read during the Three
Weeks? These portions speak about the victories of the Jewish people over the
nations, the dividing of the Land and the final preparations for entering
Israel. This appears paradoxical to the period of the Three Weeks! The answer
is that the fast days and all of these days of mourning will be transformed
into holidays and days of happiness. Specifically through our efforts now in
these days of exile and our heartfelt desire to see the Jewish people reunited
in Israel with the 3rd Temple, we will bring the final redemption and our
everlasting dwelling in the Holy Land.
Hearing the
Word
Jewish
tradition declares that the inspiration for self change originates from
Heavenly voices.
We are now towards the end of the
three-week mourning period related to the destruction of the two holy Temples
in Jerusalem. One of the themes of these days is to do teshuvah,
to examine our deeds and try our best to correct them. The custom not to bathe,
do laundry, cut hair, eat meat, drink wine, or to go swimming is certainly
intended in part to help us focus on change and personal growth.
...there are always Heavenly voices coming from Mt. Sinai telling us to
do teshuvah...
There is a very interesting related
idea in this week's parasha. In speaking about organizing a system
of judges to answer the questions of the people, Moshe says, "The
matter — davar — that is hard for you, bring to me and I will
hear it". The Baal Shem Tov asks, why does the verse add the
words, "for you"? It would have been enough to say, "the
matter that is hard, bring to me". Further, why does it say, "bring
to me and I will hear"? It should say, "bring to me, and
I will answer it". The Baal Shem Tov based his
explanation on the idea that is discussed in the Talmud that there
are always Heavenly voices coming from Mt. Sinai telling us to do teshuvah,
warning us of Heaven's impatience, cajoling us to get moving. Jewish tradition
says that the inspiration for self-change originates from these Heavenly voices.
The word in the verse that I translated
as 'matter', based on the Hebrew word "davar", can also be
translated as 'word'. Changing the reading according to the Baal Shem Tov's explanation would make the
verse read, "That word that is hard for you (to hear),
come to me and I will (help) YOU hear!" Is it possible to hear the
Heavenly voices? Yes! But only when we realize that WE are an obstacle to them.
Our obstinate attachment to the world and its physicality become like a screen
that prevents us from hearing. This is the inner dimension of the verse that
says, "And the deaf people heard". (Isaiah 42) If
you can not hear, know it is our own physicality that blocks us. If you do not
succeed in removing the obstacle, find a teacher like Moshe to help you.
This Monday evening and Tuesday is the
anniversary of the passing of the Ari, Rabbi Yitzchok Luria,
the greatest Kabbalist of Safed. The custom here in Israel is to
visit his grave and pray to G‑d that in the merit of the tzadik in
whose presence we stand (because a small part of the soul stays in the grave
until Mashiach will come) may we be helped with our difficulties.
The yahrzeit is the most propitious day to do this because on
this day of the tzaddik's passing all of his life accomplishments come to
their pinnacle again, together with all of the added fruits/results of those
accomplishments over the last year which came as a result of his teachings and
deeds. Whoever would like to send a note for us to read at the grave site is
welcome. See Send-A-Prayer.
Visions of
Redemption
As
the destruction was prophesied, so too we trust in the renewal foretold
Beginner
Each Shabbat is the elevation
and completion of all our accomplishments of that week. This is one of the
primary teachings of the Safed Kabbalists, as exemplified by the Arizal,
the anniversary of whose passing occurs on hei Av.
Furthermore, it is the source for all the divine blessings of the week that
will follow. Because Shabbat affects each day of our lives, before each Shabbat
it is important to review what events transpired in the last week, and to set
out our expectations from the coming week, including both major and minor
events and developments.
These contemplations help us focus our
strengths in the most effective way to get the most benefit from Shabbat.
The Shelah extends this Kabbalistic concept to include the
weekly Torah portion, explaining that the Torah in
its infinitude is also connected to our weekly happenings. The more we study
the weekly portion, the more we will discover how the Torah graces us with
lessons and instructions how to relate, maximize and overcome any obstacles in
our path, allowing us to serve G‑d fully.
In light of the above, it is easy to
understand why Shabbats that have important events connected to them usually have
their own unique names. The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur is called "Shabbat Teshuva". The Shabbat preceding
each Rosh Chodesh (first day of the month) is called "Shabbat
Mevorchim".Each Jew is given a subtle vision of
the Third Temple on this Shabbat…
The Shabbat between Rosh Chodesh Av and the 9th of
Av, our annual mourning period of the destruction of the two Holy Temples, is
called "Shabbat Chazon". The word "chazon",
Hebrew for "prophetic vision" is the first word of the Haftorah read
on this Shabbat. This Haftorah contains
stern admonishments of the prophet Isaiah to the Jewish people to
repent.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev, one
of the great Chassidic masters and fabled as the defender of the Jewish people
in the Heavenly Court , revealed another meaning of Shabbat Chazon:
he taught that each Jew is given a subtle vision of the Third Temple on this
Shabbat. This vision is meant to arouse in us the desire to finally have the
Third Temple, similar to a child who, having been shown a gift he will receive,
strives to improve his behavior. "Enough of this exile," we are meant
to say and feel. "We want the Temple, so we can finally serve G‑d in the best way, the
way that G‑d originally requested of us."Every
descent is for the sake of the ascent that will follow…
Every descent is for the sake of
the ascent that will follow. The tragic events we annually
mourn for at this time of year are for the purpose of the great elevation that
will come from them, the rebuilding of the final and everlasting Temple.
Nothing can stand in the way of our will. If we truly want something, we will
get it.
The Shelah writes that this is the reason that the
same three Torah portions - Matot, Masei and Devarim are
always read during this time. Our strong leaders (Rashei Hamatot), and
this interminable exile (Masei, literally "journeys") will
lead us to "G‑d, the Lord of your fathers, will make you 1000 times
what you are and bless you as He has promised" (Deut. 1:11) -
a blessing without limits. It's not surprising that this verse is always read
on Shabbat Chazon. May the 9th of Av be
transformed into a holiday!The
teachings of the Arizal prepare
the world for the Redemption…
Rabbi Yitzchok Ginsburgh
explained why the anniversary of the passing of the Arizal, on the 5th of
Av, is also during this mourning period; in fact, it is the exact midpoint of
the Nine Days of most severe mourning. The teachings of the Arizal prepare the
world for the Redemption. On the anniversary of the passing of a tzadik,
all of his life's accomplishments are once again revealed in the world but on a
higher level, as they are united with all that was accomplished since then as a
result of his good works. This revelation is the most potent instrument in our
hands to overcome the mourning and to join in bringing the redemption.
Most of the Arizal's teachings were
transmitted to us via his foremost student, Rabbi Chaim Vital. He explained the
verse: "G‑d, our Lord, spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'long
enough' [in Hebrew, 'rav lachem'] have you sat at this
mountain". (Deut. 1:6) "Rav lachem"
can also be translated as "you have become great", meaning: Since you
have merited to receive the Torah straight from G‑d, you have now become great
and powerful. Why continue to sit here? Turn and take your journey! Go use the
strengths you were given and conquer the world. Make the world a place where G‑d
is revealed.
Mystic
Stories
Wonders
and Inspiration from Kabbalists, Chasidic Rebbes, remarkable Jews
Beginner
The Match of
"Revealed" and "Concealed"
What
a great match!
Beginner
In 1570, Rabbi Yosef Karo was
over eighty years old when he arranged the engagement of his oldest surviving
son, Shlomo, who was fifteen years old at the time.
His first wife and their three children
had passed away in 1535 during a plague in Salonika. Rabbi Karo’s second wife
bore him a son, Shlomo, in 1555,
while he was completing the Shulchan Aruch. After his second wife
passed away, Rabbi Yosef married the daughter of one of the sages of Jerusalem,
who bore him a son whom he named Yehuda.
Safed was full of respectable families,
fathered by wise Torah sages and nurtured by righteous women, some
with eligible daughters. Who would not be eager to marry his daughter to the
son of the revered author of the Beis Yosef and the Shulchan
Aruch?
As Rabbi Karo considered the potential
matches, he learned of a new family who had recently arrived from Egypt with a
virtuous daughter of the appropriate age. The girl's father was a seemingly
eccentric young Torah giant
who sought to hide his greatness from the world. However, in the course of a
few months in Safed, his name and deeds had spread rapidly from mouth to mouth.
The eminence of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the "Holy Ari,"
lay in the realm of mysticism. His insights into the souls of the living and
the dead captivated many, while his saintly personality made him a vessel of
light, humble at all times, a true Torah sage.
The Luria family was a paragon of
righteousness, and Rabbi Karo felt confident that this was the right match for
his son. Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria's respect for the revered head of the rabbinical
court of Safed and author of the Shulchan Aruch was no less than Rabbi Yosef's
for the Ari. Connections were soon made between the two Torah giants, and the
city of Safed buzzed with the news of this exceptional shidduch.
The engagement party was held at the
Luria home. The great rabbis of Safed gathered to rejoice with the two revered
leaders. Among the many speeches, the words of the kallah's father,
the Ari, were the most elevated. Rabbi Karo returned home late that night and
told his wife, who had been unable to attend, what had happened.
"My dear wife," he told her
excitedly. "What can I tell you! What can I say about what was revealed of
the inner dimensions of Torah and the commandments! How shall I describe the
profundity of the secrets of the Torah which I heard today from the bride's
father! How much knowledge and understanding I gained from his talk! It is
absolutely unimaginable that a human being has such depth of perception. Even
an angel does not know what he knows.…"
Rabbi Karo stopped to catch his breath,
his face glowing with excitement. "Truly," he continued, his eyes
aglow, "his soul must be descended from one of the early prophets, for
even the greatest of Talmudic Sages could not attain that which he has.
"And yet, my beloved wife, on that
very account I am greatly afraid for him. Our generation has fallen too low to
absorb the radiance of his holiness, and I fear that because of our sins we
will lose all too soon this priceless pearl. If only he would live out a full
life and not die young!"
* * *
After that, Rabbi Yosef
Karo sought to study Kabbala with Rabbi Yitzchak
Luria, even though the latter was more than forty years his junior. Although
Rabbi Luria was not altogether in favor of it, they did study together a few
times. Rabbi Karo, a truly humble man, never let his seniority interfere with
his goal of acquiring ever greater Torah wisdom.
"Your soul," Rabbi Luria
finally disclosed to him, "is not capable of comprehending this wisdom
through my system. You will succeed best by studying the teachings of
Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (the Ramak).
"As a sign that what I say is
true," continued the Arizal, "as soon as I begin revealing
mystical secrets you shall begin to doze off."
And so it happened. Every time Rabbi
Luria divulged a Kabbalistic thought, Rabbi Karo's head nodded and his eyes
closed.
* * *
The marriage between the two
illustrious families took place in 1570, with the whole city participating in
the festivities.
It was a memorable wedding. Not only
was it the joyous beginning of the formation of a new home in Israel, but
in a less tangible way, it was almost as if the two aspects of our One Torah,
the hidden and the revealed, were united. Rabbi Yosef Karo, blessed with
secrets of the Torah which an angel of the Mishna had revealed to
him, was the paragon of the revealed Torah. He succeeded in uniting the Jewish
people through codifying the law in a way that had not been achieved since the
time of the Rambam. Rabbi Yitzchak
Luria, for his part, gave the esoteric, mystical side of Torah a new
direction and dimension that it had not known since the Mishnaic sage of
the Zohar, Rabbi Simon bar Yochai.
Together, the two different, yet
inseparable aspects of Torah were revealed to the world by these two Torah
personages, and symbolized by the marriage of their children. Safed, in turn,
reached a pinnacle of grandeur that would endear it forever to the heart of
every Jew.
Jesting in
Earnest
"What
is this about your being 'a poor man'?! You had better leave my house at
once!"
Beginner
It was a sad story that this
penniless chassid brought to his rebbe, Rabbi Shlomo of
Radomsk: his daughter was of marriageable age, and he did not know where to
begin to find all the money needed for a dowry and a wedding. All this was
written out in the note which he handed the rebbe.
The tzadik read it
through, and exclaimed: "What is this I read here about your being 'a poor
man'?! You had better leave my house at once, for our Sages teach us that 'a
pauper is accounted as if dead,' and I am a kohen, one of the
priestly family, who may not be defiled by exposure to the dead!"
The man ran out from sheer fright, but
the tzadik called
after him: "Come now, come now! This must surely be a case of a met mitzvah,
a dead body which can be attended to by no one else, in which case a kohen is
allowed to defile himself."
Those present laughed at the seeming
jests, little suspecting that there were more to come. The tzadik addressed
himself another time to the poor fellow: "You are worrying about marrying
off your daughter. Tell me: do you have bread to eat?"
"To tell the truth,"
stammered the pauper, "I haven't."
"But you do say the Hamotzi benediction
over bread every day, don't you? So where do you get the bread for that?"
"Most of it comes from my wife;
she works, and earns a little."
"What a fine business!" cried
the rebbe. "His wife supports him! Shouldn't we be warned by the example
of Adam, whose wife gave him something to eat? And this fellow says that
his wife supports him! Tell me: in what way does your wife earn her
income?"
"She goes to all the courtyards
[in Hebrew: chatseirot] of the aristocrats in the area, sells
vegetables and whatever, and earns a little from that," the pauper
replied.
"If so," said the tzadik,
"we have a verse in the Torah [Deut 1:1]
which lists place-names, and there it says 'chatserot vadiy zahav':
that if she goes to chatseirot, she will no doubt encounter vadaiy
zahav [literally, "ample gold"]. Go home in peace, my good
man, and the Almighty will help you, and your wife will prosper with vadaiy
zahav."
But when he came home and his wife
asked him what he had brought back from the rebbe, he did not know what to
answer.
After some time his wife came home with
a package, and said: "Look here. Today I found this thing lying about in
the mud."
They opened it, and found three hundred
rubles — quite a sum in those days. Half of it they set aside for their
daughter's dowry and the wedding expenses and with the rest the happy man set
up a little business in which he prospered for the rest of his life.
After the passing of Rabbi Shlomo of
Radomsk, this chasid came to visit his son and successor as rebbe,
Rabbi Avraham Yissachar, and told him the above episode.
"My father," said the tzadik,
"was a remarkable man. Every expression of his supernatural powers and his
divine inspiration he managed to clothe in jests and witticisms, so that no one
should detect that there was anything extraordinary afoot."
Visit to the
Hidden Mashiach
The
students of the Arizal discover a unique household
Beginner
Note: the 5th of the
month of Av is the anniversary of the passing of perhaps the most
significant kabbalist of the last millennium, the Arizal (the
acronym for "Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, of blessed memory", 1534-1572).
When the Maharshal heard
of the wonders that the Arizal was
performing in Safed, he feared these miracles were black magic and seriously
considered excommunicating the Arizal and his disciples. The Arizal became
aware of this development and decided to send his two most important students
to Lublin to present his teachings to the Maharshal and prevent such a terrible
mistake. The disciples were great righteous men in their own right, none other
than Rabbi Chaim Vital (who was later to become the chief disseminator of the
Arizal's teachings in North Africa and the Mideast) and Rabbi Yisrael Srug (who
would be the major exponent in Europe).
[The "Maharshal",
Rabbi Shlomo Luria, was one of the leading Torah scholars
of the sixteenth century. His writings are studied and venerated still today.
He served as rabbi and head of the rabbinical court in Lublin, one of the most
important centers of Jewish life at that time. He was a relative of Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria, probably his great uncle.]As a reward for your efforts, you may visit the Mashiach of
our time…
As "payment" for the trip,
the Arizal revealed to them a deep secret: the name and whereabouts of
the Mashiach ben David of their generation.
In every generation, the Arizal explained, a Mashiach descended from David and a
Mashiach descended from Joseph is born. If the generation is
undeserving, they pass from the world without revealing themselves. "The
current candidate to be Mashiach ben David is called Eliyakim
ben Shmuel and lives in the village of Tisavitch which is not far
from Lublin. After finishing your mission, as a reward for your efforts, you
may visit the Mashiach of our time," said the Arizal to his students as he
blessed them on their departure.
Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Yisrael set out,
taking with them special delicacies of Safed, hot from the oven. Shortly
thereafter they were picked up by a passing cloud that took them all the way to
Lublin and deposited them - not surprisingly - at the entrance to the synagogue
where the Maharshal prayed. They arrived exactly on time for the afternoon
prayer.
The sudden appearance of these two Jews
of holy countenance dressed in the impressive garments of 16th century Safed
caused quite a stir. As a result of a certain incident which then took place in
the shul (a long story in itself) the Maharshal understood that these were very
special and holy visitors indeed.
The two men introduced themselves and
their mission. They told the Maharshal that only that morning had they left
Safed and, as proof, their Israeli food was still warm. The Maharshal asked
them to reveal the teachings of their master, the Arizal, so that he could
judge for himself. "So secret and holy are the teachings," explained
the visitors, "that we can reveal them only in an isolated location, away
from over-sensitive ears."
They went down to the Maharshal's dark
basement. As soon as the tzadikim began to relate the
teachings of their master, the whole room lit up. Afterwards, the Maharshal
declared that his attitude had changed. He promised them that not only had he
given up any idea of declaring a ban, but from then on he would consider
himself to be one of the Arizal's great admirers.In desperation, they revealed to the rabbi the true nature of their
mission…
The Arizal's two disciples went on to
Tisavitch to claim their reward. Upon arriving, however, they found Reb Eliyakim's
whereabouts to be unknown. Indeed, his very existence was seriously doubted by
even the most informed elders of the town. The Safed Kabbalists proceeded to
the house of the local rabbi and asked him about Eliyakim, the son of Shmuel,
but to no avail. In desperation, they revealed to the rabbi the true nature of
their mission.
After much effort on the part of many
different people, they finally succeeded in tracking down the elusive Reb
Eliyakim. Needless to say, the two visitors wasted no time making their way to
his home, along with the Rabbi of Tisavitch who insisted on accompanying them.
Once at the house of the acclaimed
Mashiach ben David of the generation, to their surprise they found only one
small room, two broken down beds, and one table ready to fall apart and a
chair. Reb Eliyakim himself lay in bed, and his wife was at the stove which
stood in the middle of the house.
After being greeted by the hosts, who
were surprised but excited to have visitors, especially the rabbi and such holy
looking travelers, the guests introduced themselves: "We are the students
of the holy Ari, from the holy city of Safed, in the holy land of Israel,
and we have been told that you are our generation's candidate for the task of
Mashiach ben David."As a
result of this secret becoming uncovered …I must depart from the world…
"Oh! The Ari and his revelations!
He has done me and himself great damage," Reb Elyakim exclaimed. "As
a result of this secret becoming uncovered," he continued, "I must
depart from the world. My last request is that you personally take charge of
the funeral and all involved. On the gravestone please write: Here lies a
truthful and honest man. 12 Elul 5332."
With these words, Eliyakim ben Shmuel
passed away, leaving behind him a world unworthy of Mashiach. (There are some
who say that this revelation had such a tragic end because of the presence of
the rabbi of the town; had the Arizal's pupils come by themselves, the result
would have been different.)
After the funeral, Rabbi Chaim and
Rabbi Yisrael went to visit the widow in her mourning. They questioned her
about the deeds of her husband.
"I married very young," his
wife replied. "All those years my husband was very ill. I myself provided
whatever living we had. Most of the time he lay in bed. However, right
before Shabbat there would always be a drastic change - the house
would become wider and longer, and a fully set table with the best of Shabbat
dishes would appear. Then a group of very holy looking visitors would arrive,
always bringing with them a Torah scroll.
My husband would become strong and healthy and together with the guests, would
spend the entire Shabbat in prayer, study and eating the three traditional
meals.After the Saturday night prayer …the
house would shrink back to its weekday size…
"After the Saturday night prayer
and Havdala, the house would shrink back to its weekday size, the
guests would disappear and my husband would return to his bed. This was the
schedule every week since our marriage."
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone
about this wondrous miracle?" she was asked. Seeing how amazed everyone
was by what she had so innocently told, she explained, "I know that a
bride is like a queen and the groom is like a king. Therefore I assumed that
this happens in every Jewish household, on every Shabbat after the
wedding!"
The author notes that as of the time of
his writing, a gravestone with the above inscription could still be found in
the Jewish cemetery of Tisavitch!
Devarim Haftorah in a Nutshell
This week's haftorah is
the third of a series of three "haftarot of
affliction." These three haftarot are
read during the Three
Weeks of mourning for Jerusalem, between the fasts of 17 Tammuz and 9 Av.
Isaiah relays
to the Jews a G‑dly vision he experienced, chastising the residents of Judah and Jerusalem for
having rebelled against G‑d, criticizing them for repeating their errors and not
abandoning their sinful ways — even after having been reprimanded and punished. "Woe to a sinful nation, a people heavy with
iniquity, evildoing seed, corrupt children. They forsook G‑d; they provoked the
Holy One of Israel." Harsh words are
employed, comparing the Jewish leaders to the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah. G‑d
states his distaste for their sacrifices and offerings which were flavored with
pagan customs. "How has she become a
harlot, a faithful city; it was once full of justice, in which righteousness
would lodge, but now it is a city of murderers…"
Isaiah then
speaks gentler words, encouraging the people to repent sincerely and to perform
acts of justice and kindness towards the needy, orphans and widows, and
promising them the best of the land in return for their obedience. "If your sins prove to be like crimson, they will
become white as snow; if they prove to be as red as crimson dye, they shall
become as wool." The haftorah concludes
with a promise that G‑d will eventually reestablish Israel's judges and
leaders, when "Zion shall be redeemed
through justice and her penitents through righteousness."
Note: The first word of the haftorah is
"Chazon" ("The vision [of
Isaiah]"). The Shabbat when this haftorah is
read, the Shabbat before Tisha b'Av, is thus called "Shabbat Chazon," the
"Shabbat of the Vision." According to chassidic tradition, on this
Shabbat the soul of every Jew is treated to a "vision" of the third
Holy Temple that
will be rebuilt with the coming of Moshiach.
Shabbat
Chazon
The
Shabbat Before Tisha B'Av Is Unique
The Shabbat before the Ninth of Av is called Shabbat Chazon ("Shabbat
of Vision") after the opening words of the day's reading from the prophets
("haftara"), which is the third of the series of readings known as
"The Three of Rebuke."
On this Shabbat, say the Chassidic
masters, we are granted a vision of the Third Temple; we may not see it with our physical
eyes, but our souls see it, and are empowered to break free of our present
state of galut (exile and spiritual displacement) and bring about
the Redemption and the rebuilding of the Temple.
Devarim in a
Nutshell
Deuteronomy
1:1–3:22
On the first of Shevat (thirty-seven
days before his passing), Moses begins his repetition of the Torah to
the assembled children of Israel, reviewing the events
that occurred and the laws that were given in the course of their forty-year journey from Egypt to
Sinai to the Promised Land, rebuking the people for their failings and
iniquities, and enjoining them to keep the Torah and observe its
commandments in the land that G‑d is giving them as an eternal
heritage, into which they shall cross after his death.
Moses recalls his appointment of
judges and magistrates to ease his burden of meting out justice to the people and
teaching them the word of G‑d; the journey from Sinai through the great and fearsome desert; the sending
of the spies and the people’s subsequent
spurning of the Promised Land, so that G‑d decreed that the entire generation
of the Exodus would die out in the desert. “Also against me,”
says Moses, “was G‑d angry for your sake, saying: You, too, shall not go in there.”
Moses also recounts some more recent
events: the refusal of the nations of Moab and Ammon to allow the Israelites to
pass through their countries; the wars against the Emorite
kings Sichon and Og, and the settlement of their lands by the tribes
of Reuben and Gad and part of the tribe of Manasseh;
and Moses’ message to his successor, Joshua,
who will take the people into the Land and lead them in the battles for its
conquest: “Fear them not, for the L‑rd your G‑d, He
shall fight for you.”
A Summary of
the Book of Deuteronomy
Sefer
Devarim
© Ahuva Klein
Nearing his 120th birthday, Moses,
the wise leader of 40 years, gets personal with his flock, many of whom were
not yet alive at the Exodus. Not just conveying messages from G‑d,
but talking to his people from his own perspective. The result: the Book
of Deuteronomy.
What Is It?
The fifth of the Five Books of Moses, the Book of Deuteronomy primarily contains Moses’ last will and
testament to the Children of Israel as they are poised to enter the
Promised Land.
In Hebrew the book is commonly referred
to as Devarim, meaning “words” or “things,” based on the opening
line, “And these are the words that Moses spoke to the
children of Israel.”1 Since Moses uses this book to recount many
events and commandments previously recorded in the other books of the Torah,
it is also known as Mishneh Torah,2 “a second Torah,” or Deuteronomy (from
the Greek words for “second law”).
Moses revisits many of the high points and low points in the Jews’
40-year sojourn in the desert.
Addressing the Jewish people, Moses
revisits many of the high points and low points in the Jews’ 40-year sojourn in
the desert. He uses the opportunity to urge the people to follow the mitzvahs and
live a G‑dly life. Many mitzvahs and laws are also found here. Some are repeated
from the previous books; others are taught here for the first time.
Some Major Landmarks
The 10 Commandments: Moses recounts the
event at Sinai, and repeats the 10 Commandments with some minor additional explanations.3
Shema: The verse that has become
central to Jewish worship and belief, “Hear O Israel, the L‑rd is our G‑d, the L‑rd is one,” is followed by the paragraph of Veahavta,
where we are told to love G‑d, learn Torah, recite the Shema, teach our children, wear tefillin and
affix mezuzahs.4
Shirat Haazinu: The penultimate
portion, Haazinu, is largely a poetic song (arranged in two side-by-side
columns) in which Moses exhorts the people to remain faithful to G‑d and
admonishes them for not doing so.5
Finally, Moses delivers an individual
message and blessing to each of the tribes.6 The last lines of the book tell us of Moses’
passing, and how G‑d Himself buried Moses in an unknown place on Mt. Nebo.7 Who wrote those last
lines? According to one Talmudic tradition, those eight verses were written
by Joshua after Moses’ death. Others, however, say that G‑d dictated
them to Moses, who transcribed them in tears.
The Bridge
The Torah contains two parts, the
Written Torah and the Oral Tradition (which was first committed to writing in
the Talmudic era). Deuteronomy, which is Moses’ written transcript of his oral
exhortation, bridges these two bodies of Torah.
Devarim
Devarim | ????? | “Words ” – Remember
the Torah of Moses, Do Teshuva ! Return to Torah of Messiah
–one
who increases Torah, increases life; one who increases charity, increases
peace
– Zion shall be saved by justice,”Restore our judges
as of old,”
Devarim (?????) is both the title for the last book from the
scroll of the Torah and the Devarim means “Words.” “These
are the words (devarim) which Moses spoke to all
Israel across the Jordan in the
wilderness” – Deuteronomy 1:1.
SUMMARY:
- A short
introduction to Moses’ words of warning spoken in various places during his
last days. He reviews some of the important events of the desert
wanderings, beginning with the departure from Mt. Sinai.
- The
appointment of judges and officers that
helped Moses in administering the Israelite camp.
- The incident of the spies that resulted in the extension of the wilderness wanderings
for forty years.
These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in
the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and
Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. -Deuteronomy 1:1
It is eleven days journey from Horeb
by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
-Deuteronomy 1:2
Repentance/Return to Torah
Zohar writings: The book of Deuteronomy, ‘Devarim’ is also called “?????????” that
means repentance’ of the Torah or ‘Second Torah’. It’s on the level of Malchut
and therefore reveals the Light of the entire Torah. Moshe in his words guides
us to understand that we need to trust G-d so he can bless and do the work for
us.
“YHVH, the G-d of your fathers, make
you a thousand times so
many more as you are, and bless you, as He has promised you!–” and ( Deut
1:30 ) “YHVH, your G-d who goes before you, He shall fight for you,
according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes’, And ( Deut
1:31 ) “and in the wilderness, where you has seen how that G-d carry
you, as a man carry his son, in all the way that you went, until you came unto
this place”. -Deuteronomy 1:11,30,31
Moses tells the people that G-d keeps
and will keep his promises. In the future G-d will add 1000 times more
of us with the blessings that he made to our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Moses is trying to make the Israelites understand that distancing ourselves
from the Light puts us in trouble and loss. If the Israelites count was 600,000
at that time then 1000 times in the future means that they will be 600
million.
G-d’s blessing transcends the limits
of understanding and is infinite, this being the experience of insight,
or Chochma. “Before his death, Moses blessed the Jewish
people: “May G-d, the G-d of your forefathers increase you a thousand
fold.” ( Deut. 1:11 ) To this, the Jewish people replied,
“Moses! You are setting a limit to our blessing (by limiting it to a thousand
fold increase)! The Holy One, blessed be He, has already promised Abraham: ‘I
will make your offspring like the dust of the earth’ meaning, if a person can
count the dust of the earth, so will he be able to count your offspring. (Genesis 13:16). Moses replied, “What I said is my own blessing
[i.e. the maximum extent to which I can bless you]. But as for G-d, He will
indeed ‘bless you as He spoke of you.’” (Rashi )
Torah to them on the Plain of Moab on
the other side of the Jordan River from Jericho:
In this book of “Deuteronomy” Moses
is repeating the Torah to the children of the generation that rejected HaShem’s
Promised Land. Moses is teaching the Torah to them on the Plain of Moab on the
other side of the Jordan River from Jericho. Hence this book is often called
“Mishneh Torah,” or “Repetition of Torah.” He is doing it as a reminder of how
they got to this place – because this recounting of the “Law” is call for repentance on their part.
These are the commandments and
the Judgements which
HaShem commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. Deuteronomy 1:1 These are
the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over
against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and
Di-zahab. – Numbers 36:13
In the book of New Testament: Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews
sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He
confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they
asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” Are you the
Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we
may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He
said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way
of HaShem,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
These things were done in Bet Abarah beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. -John
1:19-23, 28
Yeshua, when referring to John “the Immerser,” made
a midrash and compared him to Elijah. In so doing, Yeshua connected the words
of Deuteronomy with the First Century and provided the prophetic backdrop for a
time yet future – a time before the Great Day of HaShem. Here is what Yeshua
said speaking of John:
For this is he of whom it is written:
‘Behold, I send My
messenger before Your face, who will
prepare Your way before You.’ -Matthew 11:10
It is Yeshua’s quote ( Malachi
3:1) and the subsequent passage from Malachi 4:4-6 that
makes this “sermon”
of Moses that comprises the book of
Deuteronomy so pertinent to us today – and points to a time yet future.
The purpose for John “the messenger”
is about the message of “Repentance” beyond the Jordan and it is the same
message that Moses is recounting for that generation on the Plain of Moab, on
the other side of the Jordan
River. It is also the message of repentance.
In those days John the Immerser came
preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ” Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” -Matthew 3:1
The same message that Yeshua
taught: From that time Yeshua began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matthew 4:17
The same message that Yeshua sent His
first disciples: In modern Judaism, like the ancient Judaism of Scripture,
repentance always means this: return
to Torah.
This is that Moses who said to the
children of Israel, HaShem your G-d will raise up for you a Prophet like me
from your brethren. Him you shall hear. This is he who was in the congregation
in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our
fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, whom our
fathers would not obey, but rejected. Which of the prophets did your
fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the
Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received
the Torah by the direction of angels and have not kept it.
-Acts 7:37-39; 52
Stephen compared the rejecting of the
Torah by the generation at Sinai (by their disobedience) to the generation that
he stood before in the Sanhedrin that fateful day – a generation that also had
rejected the Torah (by their disobedience).
John’s call for repentance had
not been heeded. Yeshua’s call for repentance had not been heeded. In the years
that followed Yeshua’s death and resurrection… the call for repentance was not
heeded. They did not listen to these words which Moses spoke.
We start with Moses, on the banks of the Jordan river –
playing the role of John – playing the role of Elijah – Calling for
repentance – preparing the way for the King Mashiach ben David.
Remember the Torah of Moses, My
servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and
judgements. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of HaShem. And he [Elijah, by teaching the Torah of
Moses] will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of
the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a
curse. -Malachi 4:4-6
By the grace of HaShem, one day
Eliyahu will preach this to all who will listen, “Remember the Torah of Moses!” – and
this time there will be genuine repentance – preparing the way for the
returning King Messiah, Yeshua our Master. May it be soon, and in our days.
“He would also say: One who increases
flesh, increases worms; one who increases possessions, increases worry; one who
increases wives, increases witchcraft; one who increases maidservants,
increases promiscuity; one who increases man-servants, increases
thievery; one who increases Torah, increases
life; one who increases study, increases wisdom; one who
increases counsel, increases understanding; one who increases charity, increases peace. One who acquires a good name, acquired it for
himself; one who acquires the words of Torah, has acquired life in the World to
Come.” -Pirkei Avot / Ethics of the Fathers 2
The King of Kings, the Holy One
blessed be He, Created this world so that there should be Unity, love and peace –
without these there can be no sustaining of the world! Each day that
passes, the light
of Mashiach grows stronger and with this
occurs the revelation of King Mashiach! We must increase kindness and
benevolence in Am Yisrael, increase with Torah studies and prayer –
Mashiach is on his way to being revealed!
Torah
——–
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Numbers 36:13
Genesis 13 : 16
Haftarah Portion
————————
Isaiah 1:1-27
Psalm 137 : 1
Malachi 4:4-6
Acts 7:37-39; 52
Ha-Berit ha-Hadashah
——————————–
Mark 14:1-16
Matthew 3:1
Matthew 4:17
Matthew 11:10
John 1:19-23, 28
Notes:
This week’s reading, Parashat Devarim ( Deut 1:1-3:22 ), which
comprises this introductory speech, presents two main stories in this overview:
the first reviews the history of the parents generation that died in the
wilderness ( Deut 1:6-46 ) and the second brings the history
of the children’s generation ( Deut 2:1-3:29 ).
“These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel” ( Deuteronomy
1:1 ), and a concluding verse, which summarizes its main point: “These
are the terms [ lit. words ] of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to
conclude with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant
which He had made with them at Horeb” -Deuteronomy 28:69.
The story of the spies is preceded by
G-d’s command to come and inherit the land: “The Lord our G-d spoke to us at
Horeb, saying: You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Start out and make
your way to the hill
country of the Amorites …
enter the land … ” ( Deut 1:6-8 ), but after the sin of the
spies comes the period of the punishment: “Thus, after you had remained at
Kadesh all that long time … we … skirted the hill country of Seir a long time”
( Deut 1:46-2:1 ).
This one as well begins with a
command from the Lord, whose language parallels the first command (Deut
1:6-8 ): “You have been skirting this hill country long enough; now
turn north” ( Deut 2:2 ) and concludes with
the words, “Meanwhile we stayed on in the valley near Beth-peor”
( Deut 3:29 ).
G-d’s command to leave Horeb (
Deut 1:7: “Start out and make your way to the hill country of the Amorites”)
and carrying out this command (1:19: “We set out from Horeb and traveled the
great and terrible wilderness…”). Moses incorporated into his speech the
subject of appointing judges (1:9-18). Moses instruction
to the judges (1:16-17).
Appoint them as Judges:
“Thereupon I said to you, ‘I cannot
bear the burden of you by myself. The Lord your G-d has multiplied you … How
can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering!’”
(1:9-12), and concludes with the appointment of the judges, whom Scripture
calls “chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, …” The main body of this story
is recounted in Exodus 18:14-26. There, too, an explanation is given for the
need to appoint judges, except that it is given by Jethro, who asks Moses, “Why
do you sit [as magistrate] alone, while all the people stand about you from
morning until evening?” (Ex. 18:14). “For the task is too heavy for you; you
cannot do it alone” (Ex. 18:18). However there are also further differences
between the two accounts. To begin with, in Exodus the initiative for
appointing judges came from Jethro, whereas here Moses abbreviated the account,
seeing no need to mention whose initiative it had been. Secondly, in Exodus
Scripture said briefly that Moses appointed the candidates, whereas here Moses
went into greater length, explaining how he consulted with the people,
commanding them to put forward candidates (1:13: “Pick from each of your tribes“), and only afterwards did he appoint them as
judges. Thirdly, in Exodus the candidates were selected primarily according to
their moral character: “men who fear G-d, trustworthy men who spurn ill-gotten
gain” (Exodus 18:21), whereas in Deuteronomy Moses went on to note their
intellectual capabilities: “Men who are wise, discerning, and
experienced” (Deut. 1:13).
Judgements belongs to Most High:
Moshe Rabbeinu begins the legal
section of Sefer Devarim by stressing the importance of, and the qualifications
needed to be, a Jewish leader. Central to that is the admonition, “Do not fear ( lo taguru ) any man ( ish ), since
judgement belongs to G-d” ( Deut 1: 17 -18). Moshe, as the man of truth,
exhorts us not to be beholden to flesh and blood; after all, “all mankind is
deceitful” (Psalms 116:8).
Moses’ opening remarks focus much
attention on an issue that applies to a small percentage of the population, the
creation of a judicial system: “Hear out your fellows, and decide justly
between anyone and a fellow Israelite or a stranger. You shall not be partial
in judgement: hear out low and high alike.Fear no one, for judgment is G-d’s.”
( Deut 1:16-17).
For a blessing by simply stating, “May your fear of heaven be as great as your fear of
man” ( Brachot 28b).
In order to fully understand this we
must consider the words of Shimon ben Gamliel: “The world rests on three
things: on justice, on truth and on peace [Heb. shalom], as it is said: ‘Truth, justice and peace adjudicate
in your gates’ (Zech. 8:16; in the New JPS Translation: Render true and perfect
justice in your gates)” (Avot 1.18).
It would seem that Rabban Shimon ben
Gamliel was talking about different values, about three distinct pillars that
maintain a well-run human society. However, in the Jerusalem Talmud (Ta`anit
4.2) we find another angle on what he said:
All three are one; if justice is done, then truth is upheld, and peace
is made. Rabbi Mana said: and all three
occur in a single verse, “Render true and perfect [Heb. shalom] justice in your
gates” (Zechariah. 8:16).
Where there is justice, truth will be
found, and where there is truth, peace will be found. Hence, the first factor
needed for a properly run society is a legal system. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael
Hirsch’s commentary (Deut. 1:17) : When you make a legal ruling you
are doing the work of heaven. It is not a matter of your own that you can
evade, if you so wish; rather, judgement is the G-d’s, and you are obliged to
realize it. Therefore, do not supress in your hearts a ruling that is just because
of the fear of flesh and blood; on the other hand, you can trust in the Lord’s
help insofar as you are doing His work. Thus said the Sages: “Any judge who
render true and honest judgement, Scripture credits him with being like a
partner of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of Creation”
(Shabbat 10a). For justice shapes human life and gives them the form that the
Creator intended in the hour of creation, since human beings were created none
other than for freely realizing the will of G-d, and only to this end did
the Creator place human beings in His
world.
Regarding the nature of the
relationship and the reciprocal bond between the earthly legal system and the
heavenly legal system, Katav
Sofer says (on Ex. 21:1). When
judgement is rendered on earth it is not exacted in heaven, and when judgement
is not rendered on earth it is exacted in heaven. The general rule is that as
long as people in the world are reproved and judges mete out punishment to
those who transgress, then the Lord behaves mercifully towards us; but when
there is no law and justice to smite the wicked and no reproof, then justice is
exacted in heaven and the supreme King, blessed be His name, places the earth
in judgement…This seems to me to be the reason that judges are referred to as elohim, for the case of both parties will come before G-d
[Elohim], since there must be justice, not mercy.
This means that the judge, when
sitting on the bench, undertakes a function of G-d. He serves as judicial forum
instead of the heavenly court, and the heavenly court does not see fit to
intervene where a judge does his work faithfully. In this context, Rabbi
Shimshon Raphael Hirsch adds in his commentary: “Just as perversion of justice
is a sin towards man, so too is it towards Heaven.” The relationship
between the land and justice. Regarding the connection between the legal system
and the right of the people of Israel to the land of Israel we find in
Sifre: “Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy
the land” (Deut. 16:20) teaches us that appointment of judges was so that Israel may live and become settled in their land.
This line of reasoning can raise a
similar question regarding the Amidah prayer. What do we have in mind? After
the benediction of ingathering
of exiles—”sound a great shofar blast for our liberation“— After all, the next stage after the exiles
returning is to rebuild Jerusalem, for where are the Jews of the diaspora to
come? Instead, the redactor of the prayer interrupts the progression with three
other benedictions, the first of them dealing with the legal system: “restore our judges as of old.” Dealing with orders of state before the rebuilding of Jerusalem ostensibly disrupts the natural progression
from ingathering the exiles to
building Jerusalem. It
may well be that in arranging the prayer the redactor learned a lesson from
Moses and this week’s reading, for the order of the prayers also indicates to
us dependence between a
proper legal system and possessing the land. Along
these lines R. Enoch Zondel ben Joseph (Bialystok, 19th century) writes in his
commentary, Etz Yosef: It is well-known that we shall be redeemed solely
on account of justice, as it is said, “Zion shall be saved by justice” (Isa.
1:27). That is why we ask, “restore our judges as of old.” And [the prayer]
says, “remove from us sorrow and sighing” because “when the wicked dominate the
people groan” (Prov. 29:2). For when (in antiquity) we were ruled by
unscrupulous judges and justice was perverted, then we groaned greatly; but
when upright judges are
restored to us then that sighing will be turned into mirthful rejoicing.
An interesting interpretation of the
benediction, “restore
our judges as of old,” from the Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar.
According to him, in making this request we are not looking back to the past
and to specific judges. Rather, this request concerns our own
judges and dayyanim sitting on the bench and deciding cases today. What is it
that we ask for them? That the judge bear in his heart the initial feeling that
stirred his soul as he sat writing his very first legal decision. Then, by the
very nature of things and bearing in mind awe of the law and the responsibility
that lies on his shoulders, the judge will contend with himself and grapple
over how he should decide the case. His heart should pound before every
conviction and his hands tremble before every award of compensation, lest he
unwittingly err, perhaps by mistaken judgement, or because certain evidence was
withheld from him, or because he misunderstood the words of the accused or the
witnesses. We pray that this awareness be with the judge even as he writes a
legal decision for the hundredth time, or the thousandth.
Note how supremely important a
healthy and proper legal system is to our right to the land and to hastily
bringing on Redemption. Now we can better understand the words of the
prophet, “Zion shall be saved by justice.”
The
entire matter of Redemption depends on the legal system according to the
framework of Torah; therefore, before one comes to rebuilding Jerusalem
and restoring the reign of the House of
David, one must first set up a proper
and fitting system of justice.
DEVARIM -By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum
As always, we commence the reading of
the book of DEVARIM (Deuteronomy), the last of the Five Books of Moses, on the
Shabbos preceding the fast of Tisha Be’Av (9th Av) commemorating the
destruction of the Holy Temple. Tisha Be’Av is a call to Teshuvah (repentance),
setting us on course for the season of Teshuvah during the months of Av and
especially Elul, in preparation for the coming New Year and the Days of Awe.
Our study of DEVARIM will continue for the whole of this period, until we
conclude the annual cycle of the Torah reading at the end of the festival of
Succos, on Simchas Torah.
The themes of DEVARIM are appropriate
for this period. The Book of DEVARIM is the Torah’s “mouth”, summarizing all
that has gone before in the “main body” of the Torah. DEVARIM calls to the
inner ear of the soul of Israel to hear the essential message of the Torah.
Each of the twelve months of the year is integrally connected with one of the
twelve tribes and one of the twelve basic human faculties (Sefer Yetzirah). The
month of Av corresponds to the Tribe of Shimon and the faculty of hearing (see
Genesis 29:33). It is significant that the phrase “SHEMA YISRAEL! Hear, O
Israel” recurs in four key passages in the book of DEVARIM. The message is that
we must “Hear the words of the wise!” (Proverbs 22:17). “These are the words
(DEVARIM) which Moses spoke.” (Deut. 1:1) — “SOF DAVAR, the last word, after
everything has been heard: fear G-d” (Kohelet 12:13).
We find in the opening verses of our
parshah that Moses began the concluding discourses of his career “in the fortieth
year, in the eleventh month on the first of the month” (Deut. 1:3). This was on
the first day of the month of Shevat (Jan.-Feb.), thirty-seven days before
Moses ascended Mount Nevo to gaze over the Land of Israel and leave the world
on 7 Adar. Each of the six winter months is thematically connected with its
corresponding summer month. Just as Shevat, fifth of the winter months, is the
eleventh month of the year counting from Nissan, so the month of Av, fifth of
the summer months, is the eleventh month of the year counting from Tishrei. The
months of Shevat and Av are particularly propitious for deeper understanding of
the Torah, and it is therefore fitting that Moses’ concluding discourses,
delivered in the month of Shevat, are the focus of our Torah study during the
month of Av.
Moses’ concluding discourses
constitute a Covenant which he struck between G-d and Israel in the Plains of
Moab, just as he had struck a Covenant between G-d and Israel at Sinai forty
years earlier (see Deut. 28:69). At the end of the forty years wandering in the
wilderness, Moses was now the undisputed leader of Israel. The rebellious
generation of the Exodus had all died in the wilderness, to be replaced by the
new generation that stood before him now, poised to enter the land under
Joshua. All the challenges to Moses leadership — the Golden Calf, the sin of
the Ten Spies, the rebellion of Korach, the sin of Baal Pe’or, etc. — had been
overcome and were now part of history. In DEVARIM, Moses again and again
returns to this history, in order to draw out its lessons for the future.
Thus the opening verse of our parshah
of DEVARIM appears on the surface to give the location in which Moses delivered
his discourse. However, since the various locations mentioned in the verse are
all somewhat different, they are construed by the Aramaic Targum and biblical
commentators as being a series of allusions to the various sins of the past and
the lessons that were to be learned from them (see Rashi on Deut. 1:1). It is
with this veiled reproof to the nation that Moses began his final task as
leader: to forge the thousands and thousands of Israel — who were “like the
stars of the heavens for a multitude” (Deut. 1:10) — into a single, unified,
purposeful nation that would be worthy of entering the land promised to Abraham
and inheriting it for eternity. Thus it is that the book of Deuteronomy begins
with reproof but ends with blessing — “And this is the blessing which Moses,
man of G-d, blessed the Children of Israel before his death. Happy are you,
Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by HaShem? . Your enemies will waste
away for you, and you will tread upon their high places” (Deut. ch. 33 v. 1
& v. 29).
Throughout Deuteronomy, Moses
repeatedly addresses the people by the name of Israel. Not only does the name
Israel carry the connotation of victory, “for you have struggled with G-d and
with men, and you have prevailed” (Gen. 32:28). The letters of the name Israel
also include the word YASHAR, “straight”, “upright”. This is even more explicit
in the other biblical name for the Hosts of Israel – YESHURUN (Deut. 32:15;
33:26). The names Israel and Yeshurun indicate that when the people are united
and purposeful under the sole, unchallenged leadership of Moses, the archetypal
Tzaddik, they are the epitome of order and rectification. (Kabbalistically,
YOSHER, the “upright” scheme of the Sefirot, indicates order and repair, as
opposed to IGULIM, the “circular” scheme, indicating repeated cycles of
disrepair and chaos.)
Since the issue of leadership is so
crucial, it is the first raised by Moses in his discourses, after recounting
how G-d had told him to leave Mount Sinai and begin the journey to the Land of
Israel. It was far from easy to lead a people as fractious and argumentative as
this. In order for Moses’ leadership to permeate to all levels of the people,
it was necessary to establish a hierarchical system of “captains of thousands
and captains of hundreds, captains of fifties and captains of tens, and
police”. The verses in our parshah defining the necessary qualities of the
people’s leaders and judges and explaining how they are to adjudicate (Deut.
1:13-17) constitute the main foundation of the Torah laws of judges and
judicial procedure. These deserve particular attention today, when the absence
of leadership of true integrity and caliber is the bane of all our lives.
HISTORY AND PREHISTORY
Moses’ discourse in parshas DEVARIM
covers some of the key events in the forty years wandering in the Wilderness
and the lessons to be derived from them. These include the Sin of the Ten
Spies, which is of particular relevance to us this week as we approach Tisha
Be’Av, since this is not only the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple
but also of the evil report given by the spies in the Wilderness, the ultimate
cause of the destruction of the Temple. Similarly, the rectification of LASHON
HARA, evil speech, is one of the main preconditions for the rebuilding of the
Temple.
Moses’ historical survey retraces the
final stages of the journey of the Children of Israel to the Land, including
their circuiting of the lands of the Edomites, the Moabites and the Ammonites
and their conquest of Sichon king of the Emorites and Og king of Bashan. The
original narrative of these journeys and conquests was given in the later
parshiyos of the book of BAMIDBAR (Numbers) — CHUKAS, MATOS and MAS’EY.
The Children of Israel were forbidden
to try to conquer the territories of the Edomites, the Moabites and the
Ammonites. These three territories were among the ten promised to Abraham
(together with those of the seven Canaanite nations), but they were forbidden
to the Children of Israel (until in time to come) because they were already in
the hands of Abraham’s descendants or associates. The Edomites were the
children of Esau, Abraham’s grandson, while the Moabites and Ammonites were the
descendants of the daughters of Lot. Lot had been rewarded with these
territories because of his loyalty to Abraham in Egypt by not revealing that
Sarah was Abraham’s wife (Genesis ch. 12).
Moses introduces some prehistory into
his historical account by explaining how the Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites
conquered their respective territories from the frightening prehistoric giants
who inhabited them previously. For: ” ‘He explains the power of His works to
His people give them the inheritance of the nations’ (Psalm 111:6) — for if the
nations of the world say to Israel, ‘You are robbers because you have conquered
the lands of seven peoples,’ they can reply to them: ‘All the earth belongs to
the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whom he saw fit. When
he wanted, He gave it to them, and when he wanted, he took it from them and
gave it to us’ ” (Rashi on Genesis 1:1).
Kabbalistically, the Seven Canaanite
Nations correspond to the broken vessels of the seven lower Sefirot (from
CHESSED down to MALCHUT). The conquest of the Land of the Canaanites and its
transformation into the Land of Israel parallels the rectification of these
seven broken vessels (IGULIM) and their reconstitution in “upright” form,
YOSHER = Israel. The territories of Seir, Moab and Ammon correspond
respectively to the three upper Sefirot of Keter, Chochmah and Binah. These
will become the inheritance of the true heirs of Abraham in time to come, when
the cycle is complete and the world attains perfect rectification.
The Land of Israel was given to
Abraham as part of the Covenant. The sign of the Covenant is BRIS MILAH, the
circumcision, in which the foreskin is cut off and the membrane over the organ
peeled away, signifying the peeling off and removal of the husks of evil that
conceal holiness. In order to conquer the Land of Israel, it was first
necessary to conquer the two giant kings who were the main bulwarks of the
Canaanites: Sichon king of the Emorites and Og king of Bashan. Sichon
corresponds to the foreskin, while Og corresponds to the membrane (ARI). The
removal of these “gigantic” evil husks could be accomplished only by Moses,
King of Israel: “And there was a king in Yeshurun, when the heads of the people
gathered, the tribes of Israel together” (Deut. 33:5).
“All that HaShem your God did to
these two kings, so HaShem will do to all the kingdoms to which you are passing
over. Do not fear them, for HaShem your G-d, He will fight for you!” (Deut.
3:21-2).
May we see the restoration of Israel
and the rebuilding of the Temple quickly in our times!
Devarim – Secret of Tisha
B’Av
Pesach and Tisha B’Av
The first day of Pesach always falls
on the same day of the week as Tisha B’Av.
The first day of Pesach represents
redemption, and Tisha B’Av at the superficial level represents exile but at the
deeper level Tisha B’Av is the secret of final redemption.
Pesach represents faith, for matzah
is called the bread of faith. On Tisha B’Av the first generation was denied the
entry to the land due to unbelief.
Tisha B’Av was the day when the two
temples were destroyed, but at the deeper level it is the day when the third
temple will be rebuilt.
The gematria of Tisha B’Av תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב
is 780, and the spelling out of the 7 letters in gematria is 1847, meaning the
hidden (pregnant) letters in gematria is: 1847 – 780 = 1067, which is exactly the gematria of the “third temple” בַּיִת הַשְּׁלִישִׁי
which
is also 1067:
|
Tisha
B’Av |
תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב |
(780) |
|
Spelling
out |
תיו שין עין הא בית אלף בית |
1847 |
|
|
1067 |
This comes to reveal that the
potential for the rebuilding of the third temple is pregnant with Tisha B’Av,
exactly the same day when the two temples were destroyed.
When the temple was destroyed on Tisha B’Av, what’s
left is the vision to rebuild, hence this Shabbat is called Shabbat of vision חֲזוֹן. The difference between the “Holy Temple” and Tisha B’Av is exactly the gematria of vision חִזָּיוֹן (with a Yud) which is 81:
|
Holy
Temple |
בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ |
861 |
|
Tisha
B’Av |
תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב |
(780) |
|
|
81 |
Sihon and Og Revealed
In this week’s Parashah, the victory
over Sihon and Og is recounted with greater details, to usher in Tisha B’Av.
According to rabbinical tradition, Og is the one
that escaped to inform Abram of the captivity of Lot:
|
וַיָּבֹא, הַפָּלִיט, וַיַּגֵּד, לְאַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי |
And
there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew…(Gen 14:13) |
This was the 1st day of Pesach according to rabbinical
tradition when Abraham was making the round cakes עֻגוֹת “ugot”, which is the unleavened bread, after which Og עוֹג was named, meaning “round”. Og wanted to have Abram killed, thus the faith of
the 1st day of Pesach was corrupted into the unbelief
on Tisha B’Av, as represented by Og which must be conquered prior to Tisha
B’Av.
Jair the son of Manasseh יָאִיר בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה inherited the land of Og King of Bashan עוֹג מֶלֶךְ
הַבָּשָׁן (Deu 3:14), the gematria of “son of Manasseh” is exactly the
same as “king of Bashan” which is 447, fittingly.
Jair יָאִיר
means “it
shall light”,
whereas the gematria of Og and his partner Sihon is exactly the same as light אוֹר, meaning they represents the other side of light,
the concealment of light, i.e. darkness.
|
Og |
עוֹג |
79 |
|
Sihon |
סִיחֹן |
128 |
|
|
207 |
Therefore Jair son of Manasseh
represents the original light that will eventually be revealed to dispel the
darkness of Og and Sihon.
There are 4 tagins on the first “tet”
ט in Torah which is the first letter
of “good” טוֹב
to describe the primordial light. The gematria of Tet ט is 9, with her 4 tagins the gematria is 4 x 9 =
36, which is the secret of the primordial light, i.e. the light of Mashiach
that was concealed.
There is one opinion that Sihon
symbolizes Esau and Og symbolizes Ishmael, the two archenemies of Israel at the
end of days. Sihon and Og must be conquered prior to entering the land of
Israel.
Moses was able to conquer Sihon
(Esau) but was afraid of Og (Ishmael). According to Zohar, Moses’ fear was due
to Og’s merit of circumcision. Og was circumcised on the same day as Ishmael.
The alliance of Sihon and Og
symbolizes the anti-Christ, i.e. the antithesis of Mashiach, for “Sihon and Og
King of Bashan” סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג
מֶלֶךְ-הַבָּשָׁן in gematria is 666, the number of the beast.
Why do we need to know the size of
Og’s bed which is 4 x 9 in dimension (Deu 3:11)? This
is the antithesis of 4 tagins on letter Tet (9), the darkness that concealed
the primordial lights. The triangle number of 36 is 666.
For this reason the last book of
Torah Devarim is the recount of the final 36 days of Moses, according to
rabbinical tradition, and the last enemy that must be destroyed prior to entry
to the land is Sihon and Og.
The final battle is called Gog and Magog, which
will be waged by Ishmael and Edom, their gematria is 520:
|
Ishmael |
יִשְׁמָעֵאל |
451 |
|
Gog
the Magog |
גּוֹג הַמָּגוֹג |
69 |
|
|
520 |
520 is exactly the gematria of Og King
of Bashan עֹג מֶלֶךְ
הַבָּשָׁן spelled missing a Vav (1 King 4:19).
According to Zohar, Gog is Edom and Magog is
Ishmael, the archenemy of Israel at the end of days:
|
Sihon
King of Hesbon, Og King of Bashan |
סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ-חֶשְׁבּוֹן עוֹג מֶלֶךְ-הַבָּשָׁן |
1110 |
|
Edom,
Ishmael |
אֱדוֹם יִשְׁמָעֵאל |
502 |
|
Gog,
Magog |
גּוֹג הַמָּגוֹג |
69 |
|
|
1681 |
1681 is 41 squared, and the triangle
number of 41 is 861, which is the gematria of Holy Temple,בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ,
alluding to the building the third temple after the final war.
The difference in gematria is 1681 – 861 = 820 =
1640 / 2, meaning the other part of “41 squared” is exactly the average number
of Sihon and Og in Psalm 136:19-20 which
is part of the morning prayer:
|
Sihon
king of the Amorites, for His mercy endureth for ever; |
לְסִיחוֹן, מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי: כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ |
794 |
|
And
Og king of Bashan, for His mercy endureth for ever; |
וּלְעוֹג, מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן: כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ |
846 |
|
|
1640 |
The two verses above is about the slaying of Sihon
and Og, and 1640 is exactly the gematria of the genealogy of Yeshua, meaning it
is by Mashiach shall the final enemy be destroyed:
|
And
these are the generation of Yeshua, son of David son of Abraham |
וְאֵלֶּה תֹּולְדֹות יֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן-דָּוִד בֶּן-אַבְרָהָם |
1640 |
Edom and Ishmael
Edom to Ishmael is like Sihon to Og,
they are partners.
Ishmael is the waste product of
Abraham (Chesed), Esau is the waste product of Isaac (Gevurah), and Edom is the
waste product of Israel (Tiferet).
Even though Edom at the simple level
is another name for Esau, at the deeper level, Edom is the primordial “Tohu”
(chaos) according to Kabbalah and represents the antithesis that precedes
Israel.
Esau and Jacob are brothers, the
descent of Esau produces Edom, and the ascent of Jacob produces Israel, as it
is written: “he that is filthy, let me be filthy still, and he that is holy,
let him be holy still” (Rev 22:11).
The spelling out of Esau in gematria is exactly the
gematria of Edom and Ishmael, as follows:
|
Esau |
עֵשָׂו |
|
Edom |
אֱדוֹם |
51 |
|
Spelling
out |
עין שין וו |
502 |
Ishmael |
יִשְׁמָעֵאל |
451 |
|
|
502 |
502 |
The verse describing the genealogy for both Ishmael
(without the first Vav) and Esau is also the same in gematria:
|
These
are the generation of Ishmael…(Gen 25:12) |
אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדֹת יִשְׁמָעֵאל |
1321 |
|
Now
these are the generations of Esau–the same is Edom. (Gen 36:1) |
וְאֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת עֵשָׂו, הוּא אֱדוֹם |
1321 |
The alliance of Ishmael and Edom at the end time
will bring forth what is known as the anti-Christ, i.e. the antithesis to
Mashiach, for the three names in gematria is exactly the gematria of Mashiach
spelled out, as follows:
|
Edom |
אֱדוֹם |
51 |
|
Ishmael |
יִשְׁמָעֵאל |
451 |
|
Esau |
עֵשָׂו |
376 |
|
|
878 |
Mashiach spelled out in gematria is 878:
|
Mashiach |
מָּשִׁיחַ |
|
|
Spelled
out |
מם שין יוד חית |
878 |
It follows that “The Mashiach” spelled out in full
has the gematria of 888, with his full revelation as “setting an end to
darkness” קֵץ, שָׂם
לַחֹשֶׁךְ (Job 28:3) which in gematria is also 888:
|
The
Mashiach |
הַשִּׂיחִם |
|
|
Spelled
out |
הה מם שין יוד חית |
888 |
This means that the “pregnant”
letters, i.e. that which spell out the letter is: 888 – 363 = 525, which is
exactly the gematria of “Yeshua son of God” יֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן
אֱלֹהִים in gematria plus 1 as the kollel.
The Ministry of Yeshua
The timeline of Yeshua is not
explicit in the NT but much can be derived based on Hebrew Calendar.
Since John was Eliyahu and tradition
has it that Eliyahu would come at Pesach, it may be surmised that John started
his ministry from Pesach night in year 1.
Yeshua first appeared on the scene
from Jordan river, the obvious connection is with the 42nd journey of the children of Israel from the
first redemption.
It is well established that the
Shabbat mentioned in Luke 4:16 was a Yom Kippur, which was preceded Yeshua’s
40-days fast in the wilderness. It may be surmised that Yeshua’s 40 days fast
was to parallel the 40 days of repentance from Elul to Yom Kippur according to
rabbinical tradition.
This would have placed Yeshua’s
baptism in the month of Av which precedes Elul, and what day would be more
appropriate to embark on his official ministry than the 9th of Av, or Tisha B’Av?
Based on this assumption, and the fact that three
Passovers are explicitly mentioned in John 2:13, 6:4, and 11:55, the timeline
of Yeshua’s ministry (including that of John which is the precursor) may be
established as follows:
|
Month |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Total |
|
Nisan (1) |
15 |
30 |
30 |
15 |
|
|
Iyar (2) |
29 |
29 |
29 |
||
|
Sivan (3) |
30 |
30 |
30 |
||
|
Tammuz (4) |
29 |
29 |
29 |
||
|
Av (5) |
30 |
30 |
30 |
||
|
Elul (6) |
29 |
29 |
29 |
||
|
Tishrei (7) |
30 |
30 |
30 |
||
|
Cheshvan (8) |
29 |
29 |
29 |
||
|
Kislev (9) |
30 |
30 |
30 |
||
|
Tevet (10) |
29 |
29 |
29 |
||
|
Shevat (11) |
30 |
30 |
30 |
||
|
Adar (12) |
29 |
29 |
29 |
||
|
Total
Days |
339 |
354 |
354 |
15 |
1062 |
Starting from the 15th day of Nisan in Year 1, which is the first
day of Pesach, the supposed start of John the Baptist, there are exactly 1,062
days until the 15th day of Nisan in Year 4,
the completion of Yeshua’s ministry, for a total of 36 months, i.e. the
revelation of the 36 primordial lights that was hidden from the creation.
1062 is exactly the gematria of one of the most
important prophecies about the coming of Mashiach, as follows:
|
שִׁילֹה, וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים |
…Shiloh;
and unto him shall the gathering of the people be (Gen 49:10) |
The initial letters of the four words
can permute to spell Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ,
and the final letters of the four words can permute to spell “the death” הַמָּוֶת, i.e. the death of Yeshua.
The remaining seven letters can permute to spell
“he will fulfill the praise” יָקִים
הַלֵּל.
|
First
letters |
Yeshua |
יֵשׁוּעַ |
386 |
|
Middle
letters |
He will fulfill the praise |
יָקִים הַלֵּל |
225 |
|
Final
letters |
The death |
הַמָּוֶת |
451 |
|
|
1062 |
The phrase “he will fulfill” also means “he will
raise up”, which is the word used in another prophecy about Mashiach:
|
נָבִיא מִקִּרְבְּךָ מֵאַחֶיךָ כָּמֹנִי,יָקִים לְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ |
A
prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee, from the
midst of thee, of thy brethren…(Deu 18:15) |
To him לוֹ
in gematria is exactly 36, i.e. the 36 months, the 36 hidden lights.
There are exactly 111 days between
the first day of Pesach and Tisha B’Av, and 111 is the gematria of “wonderful” פֶלֶא, which is another name of Mashiach according to Isaiah 9:5.
Since Tisha B’Av and the first day of
Pesach always fall on the same day of the week, it means the start of John’s
ministry, the start of Yeshua’s ministry and the completion of Yeshua’s
ministry fell on the same day of the week, hence the end is wedged in the
beginning.
When 111 is subtracted from 1062, revealing the
exact days of Yeshua’s ministry as: 1062 – 111 = 951 days, and 951 is exactly
the gematria of the two primary titles of Mashiach:
|
Mashiach
son of Man |
מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן אָדָם |
455 |
|
Mashiach
son of God |
מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן אֱלֹהִים |
496 |
|
|
951 |
Tisha B’Av can also be written as ט בְּאָב,
with letter Tet alluding to the first Tet in Torah, i.e. the hidden light of
36. When Tet is spelled out (revealed) as טֵית
בְּאָב, the gematria is 424, which is
exactly the same as Mashiach ben David מָּשִׁיחַ בֶּן
דָּוִד.
When Mashiach ben David is revealed on Tisha B’Av מָּשִׁיחַ בֶּן
דָּוִד בְּתִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב,
the gematria is 1206, which is exactly the same as light אוֹר when Alef is augmented to 1000, i.e. the full
revelation of the primordial hidden light.
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