Parshas Haazinu
This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.
Question:
This week's parshah summarizes Jewish History, from the birth of our nation, to sin and exile, and ends with our ultimate redemption. Well, actually, it ends with G-d taking 'revenge' on our enemies (see 32:36-43, especially 43) and makes no mention of our repentance and redemption. Why not end describing them like elsewhere in the book of Deuteronomy (4:29-31, 30:1-10)?
(I saw this question asked in Rav Nebenzahl's sermons for the Ten Days of Repentance.)
Blessings on the Torah
"When I call out Hashem's name, ascribe greatness to our G-d" (Deuteronomy 32:3).
The Talmud understands this verse to be the source for making blessing before learning Torah (Brachos 21a). The way I understand it, whenever we call our Hashem's name, we must 'ascribe to Him greatness', i.e. make a blessing, and the Torah is all names of G-d (Ramban's introduction to the Torah). I am not sure what it actually means that everything in the Torah is a name of G-d and it is not the focus of this devar Torah.
[[It appears to me that the Torah being G-d's names is the central piece of the Ramban's introduction to the Torah.]]
It can be implied from the Talmud that this blessing is Biblical and thus we should examine it. (For practical halacha regarding whether the Blessing over Torah is Biblical or Rabbinic, and the ramifications, speak to your local Rav.)
What exactly is the blessing we make on Torah?
Well, actually, in the Talmud, there are two, and we say them both (Brachos 11b, Tosafos 46a DH Kol…).
[[According to Tosafos 46a DH Kol, the first two are combined. I think a proof for this is that it says Rebbi Yochanan, unlike Rav Hamnuna who simply presents his own text, would conclude Shmuel's bracha with his piece, which implies that the first two really are one.]]
The translation given in the Artscroll siddur (page 17) is as follows:
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to engross ourselves in the words of Torah. Please, Hashem, our God. Sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouth and in the mouth of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel – all of us – know Your Name and study Your Torah for its own sake. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel.
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who selected us from all the peoples and gave us His Torah. Blessed are You, Hashem, Giver of the Torah.
When reciting, instead of pronouncing Hashem as Hashem, one should either say G-d or Adonai. Following recitation, one learns a little Torah.
It seems we can detect three themes contained within the blessings:
The command to learning.
A request to make our learning sweet.
Praising G-d for selecting us and giving us His Torah.
[[See also the Penei Yehoshua on Brachos 11b]]
Why these three themes? For the first two, I base myself on Rav Aharon Lichtenstein.
Theme 1: Jewish Males are commanded to learn for learning's sake and woman too, must learn, at the minimum, the laws that they must keep. This learning is a necessity. ( http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/ralbirk1.htm)
Theme 2: While learning is a necessity, ideally we strive to love our learning. To thirst for Torah. It must not remain some dry intellectual endeavor but rather must engage our hearts as well as our minds. Ideally, our souls should be ablaze for the love of Torah. ( http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/ralbirk1.htm)
Theme 3: I think we can explain the third theme based on a quote from Rav Aryeh Kaplan who, citing the Zohar, says "the Torah is like the oil in a lamp, with Israel as its wick, causing the light of God to shine forth upon all creation" (The Aryeh Kaplan Reader, page 166, citing Tikunei Zohar 21 (60a)). Our national mission is to perfect humanity in G-d's service, based on the Torah's teachings. One reason why we were given the Torah was to spread it among the world and we must give thanks that we have the opportunity perform this task.
Food for further thought and discussion:
Since we are supposed to love learning Torah, should we strive to make learning fun and/or easier or would this contradict the first theme, that we simply must learn Torah? How do we balance these two values?
Have a good Shabbas,
Mordechai
This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.
Question:
This week's parshah summarizes Jewish History, from the birth of our nation, to sin and exile, and ends with our ultimate redemption. Well, actually, it ends with G-d taking 'revenge' on our enemies (see 32:36-43, especially 43) and makes no mention of our repentance and redemption. Why not end describing them like elsewhere in the book of Deuteronomy (4:29-31, 30:1-10)?
(I saw this question asked in Rav Nebenzahl's sermons for the Ten Days of Repentance.)
Blessings on the Torah
"When I call out Hashem's name, ascribe greatness to our G-d" (Deuteronomy 32:3).
The Talmud understands this verse to be the source for making blessing before learning Torah (Brachos 21a). The way I understand it, whenever we call our Hashem's name, we must 'ascribe to Him greatness', i.e. make a blessing, and the Torah is all names of G-d (Ramban's introduction to the Torah). I am not sure what it actually means that everything in the Torah is a name of G-d and it is not the focus of this devar Torah.
[[It appears to me that the Torah being G-d's names is the central piece of the Ramban's introduction to the Torah.]]
It can be implied from the Talmud that this blessing is Biblical and thus we should examine it. (For practical halacha regarding whether the Blessing over Torah is Biblical or Rabbinic, and the ramifications, speak to your local Rav.)
What exactly is the blessing we make on Torah?
Well, actually, in the Talmud, there are two, and we say them both (Brachos 11b, Tosafos 46a DH Kol…).
[[According to Tosafos 46a DH Kol, the first two are combined. I think a proof for this is that it says Rebbi Yochanan, unlike Rav Hamnuna who simply presents his own text, would conclude Shmuel's bracha with his piece, which implies that the first two really are one.]]
The translation given in the Artscroll siddur (page 17) is as follows:
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to engross ourselves in the words of Torah. Please, Hashem, our God. Sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouth and in the mouth of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel – all of us – know Your Name and study Your Torah for its own sake. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel.
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who selected us from all the peoples and gave us His Torah. Blessed are You, Hashem, Giver of the Torah.
When reciting, instead of pronouncing Hashem as Hashem, one should either say G-d or Adonai. Following recitation, one learns a little Torah.
It seems we can detect three themes contained within the blessings:
The command to learning.
A request to make our learning sweet.
Praising G-d for selecting us and giving us His Torah.
[[See also the Penei Yehoshua on Brachos 11b]]
Why these three themes? For the first two, I base myself on Rav Aharon Lichtenstein.
Theme 1: Jewish Males are commanded to learn for learning's sake and woman too, must learn, at the minimum, the laws that they must keep. This learning is a necessity. ( http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/ralbirk1.htm)
Theme 2: While learning is a necessity, ideally we strive to love our learning. To thirst for Torah. It must not remain some dry intellectual endeavor but rather must engage our hearts as well as our minds. Ideally, our souls should be ablaze for the love of Torah. ( http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/ralbirk1.htm)
Theme 3: I think we can explain the third theme based on a quote from Rav Aryeh Kaplan who, citing the Zohar, says "the Torah is like the oil in a lamp, with Israel as its wick, causing the light of God to shine forth upon all creation" (The Aryeh Kaplan Reader, page 166, citing Tikunei Zohar 21 (60a)). Our national mission is to perfect humanity in G-d's service, based on the Torah's teachings. One reason why we were given the Torah was to spread it among the world and we must give thanks that we have the opportunity perform this task.
Food for further thought and discussion:
Since we are supposed to love learning Torah, should we strive to make learning fun and/or easier or would this contradict the first theme, that we simply must learn Torah? How do we balance these two values?
Have a good Shabbas,
Mordechai
posted by Mordechai18 at 2:14 AM
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