Parshas Nitzvaim/Vayelech
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:
"God said to Moses, 'When you go and lie with your ancestors, this nation shall rise up and stray after the alien gods of the land into which they are coming. They will thus abandon Me and violate the covenant that I have made with them. I will then display anger against them and abandon them. I will hide My face from them and they will be [their enemies'] prey. 'Beset by many evils and troubles, they will say, 'It is because my God is no longer with me that these evils have befallen us.' On that day I will utterly hide My face because of all the evil that they have done in turning to alien gods." (Deuteronomy 31:16-18)
If we recognize that our abandoning G-d is causing the problems, why will G-d then intensify the 'hiding of His face' ?
Choosing to Be Ourselves
Currently, as we approach the High Holidays, we are in the month of Elul and this time is classically viewed as a time of intimacy with our loving Creator. I would like to analyze an aspect of this very special time and, with the insights gained, answer some questions within the weekly parshah.
As mentioned, Elul is viewed as a time when we are especially close to G-d. An allusion to this may be found in the famous phrase from Song of Songs:
"I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me" (Song of Songs 6:3)
Taking the first letter of each word spells Elul. Thus, if this verse is a hint to this month, examining it should yield insights regarding the nature of this time and what we should be focusing on and how we should prepare for the upcoming High Holidays.
My teacher, R. Dov Moshe Lipman, last year pointed out that the verse actually contains two more words: "I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me, the shepherd among the Roses" (Song of Songs 6:3). G-d is being compared to a shepherd and we to roses. The first metaphor is clear, G-d loves us and takes care of us like a shepherd cares for his flock. But what of this comparison to roses ? What does it mean?
Elsewhere we also see ourselves being compared to roses. Thus, "I will be to Israel like the dew, and he [Israel] will blossom like a rose" (Hosea 14:6). The great Rav Hirsch beautifully comments, "The Lord is ready at all times to send Israel the dew of revival. Let Israel only open its heart, as the rose unfolds its petals, and turn it upward to accept the life-giving dew drops of God's word" (commentary of Psalm 80). Thus, one meaning of the comparison is that just as roses must open spread out their pedals to receive needed water, we must open ourselves up to receive G-d. Based on this, I think we can say that opening ourselves up, i.e. Teshuva, should be one of our goals during this month of Elul.
Let's think about this, about what Rav Hirsch is saying, for a moment. What is Teshuva? It means returning but returning to what or whom?
Rav Hirsch is not saying that our task is to become somebody else, rather, our goal is to unfold our pedals, essentially, to be ourselves. Just as the rose unfolds its pedals and reveals its true beautify, so must we return to ourselves, to who we really are deep inside.
Rav Soloveitchik gives expression to this idea:
"[Man is ignorant.] Let me qualify: when I say man is ignorant, I do not refer to his scientific achievements; in this area modern man is clever and ingenious. What man fails to comprehend is not the world around him, but the world within him, particularly his destiny, and the needs of which he is supposed to have a clear awareness… Quite often man loses himself by identifying himself with the wrong image. Because of this misidentification, man adopts the wrong table of needs which he feels he must gratify. Man responds quickly to the pressure of certain needs, not knowing whose needs he is out to gratify. At this juncture, sin is born. What is the cause of sin, if not the diabolical habit of man to be mistaken about his own self? ... While, in sin, man mis-identifies and alienates himself from himself, in the case of Teshuva he reverses the process of mis-identification: he discovers himself, and 'returns' to his true self" (Redemption, Prayer, and Talmud Torah, pages 7-9).
[[My friend Yona Meir, showed me a piece from Rav Kook's Orot HaTeshuva where he makes the same point. See also Ein Ayah on Shabbas regarding Chanukah. See On Repentance page 182-186, Redemption, Prayer, and Talmud Torah pages 7-9, and http://tamimah.blogspot.com/2006/07/parshas-chukasbalak-this-is-in-merit.html for more sources from Rav Soloveitchik. Many, many more sources point to the need to develop one's uniqueness. Thus, Alei Shor 1 page 20, Reb Yaakov Kamenetsky's biography page 51, my Rav, Rabbi Pasternak's two interpretations of Sen Chelkenu BiSorasecha, please put our portion into Your Torah and please let us find our own unique portion in Your Torah, Bemidbar Rabbah 13:14 regarding the Princes and how halacha transforms us from a flashlight to a laser beam - I am sure I wrote about this but can't remember when. My Rosh Yeshiva, R. Wolicki, mentioned (sicha 9/14/06) Rav Levy Yitzchak of Berditchiv of Lech Lecha and order of places Abraham is to leave. If I remember correctly, Rav Hirsch there says the same thing.]]
Having established that our task during this month is Teshuva, meaning returning to ourselves, I would like to use this to explain three issues in this week's parshah.
"Today you are all standing before God your Lord - your leaders, your tribal chiefs, your elders, your law enforcers, every Israelite man, your children, your women, and the proselytes in your camp, from the woodcutters to the water drawers" (Deuteronomy 29:9-10).
The intention of this verse apparently is to show that all Jews were gathered together. But then, how do we understand "from the woodcutters to the water drawers" ? This is like saying 'I like all fruits, from green apples to red apples'! They must be referring to two different groups but what is the difference?
My Rosh Yeshiva, R. Pesach Wolicki, said (sicha 9/14/06) metaphorically, we could say that woodcutters and water drawers refer to two different ways of "standing before G-d." Sometimes we need to have obstructions and barriers, which obscure our true selves, cut away (woodcutters) and sometimes we need to have the depths of our personalities drawn out (water drawers).
"This commandment that I am prescribing to you today is not too mysterious or remote from you. It is not in heaven, so [that you should] say, 'Who shall go up to heaven and bring it to us so that we can hear it and keep it ?' It is not over the sea so [that you should] say, 'Who will cross the sea and get if for us, so that we will be able to hear it and keep it?' It is something that is very close to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can perform it" (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
What exactly is this commandment? Ramban says it refers to teshuva. This can explain why we are told it is within our hearts. Teshuva is returning to ourselves, a more glorious personality is embedded deep within each of us, we just need to let it shine forth.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses! Before you I have placed life and death, the blessing and the curse. You must choose life, so that you and your descendants will live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Free choice is in our hands. We can choose life and live or choose death and die. The consequences for choosing wrongly are quite grave! But wait a second, exactly what do "life" and "death" mean ? It cannot mean that if we do not keep the Torah, we will literally die; plenty of non-observant Jews live long lives.
I understand this verse to be a command for us to choose to live our own life, not another's! If we do not return to ourselves and live our own lives, we will in effect, be choosing death because living another's life is not life.
[[Although not the simple explanation, I take the text out of the contextual meaning because the command is in singular]]
Food for further thought and discussion:
Rav Soloveitchik (Redemption, Prayer, and Talmud Torah) says two ways we can discover our true selves are Torah study and prayer. How will prayer help us discover our true selves ? And how can we practically implement this in preparation for the High Holidays?
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:
"God said to Moses, 'When you go and lie with your ancestors, this nation shall rise up and stray after the alien gods of the land into which they are coming. They will thus abandon Me and violate the covenant that I have made with them. I will then display anger against them and abandon them. I will hide My face from them and they will be [their enemies'] prey. 'Beset by many evils and troubles, they will say, 'It is because my God is no longer with me that these evils have befallen us.' On that day I will utterly hide My face because of all the evil that they have done in turning to alien gods." (Deuteronomy 31:16-18)
If we recognize that our abandoning G-d is causing the problems, why will G-d then intensify the 'hiding of His face' ?
Choosing to Be Ourselves
Currently, as we approach the High Holidays, we are in the month of Elul and this time is classically viewed as a time of intimacy with our loving Creator. I would like to analyze an aspect of this very special time and, with the insights gained, answer some questions within the weekly parshah.
As mentioned, Elul is viewed as a time when we are especially close to G-d. An allusion to this may be found in the famous phrase from Song of Songs:
"I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me" (Song of Songs 6:3)
Taking the first letter of each word spells Elul. Thus, if this verse is a hint to this month, examining it should yield insights regarding the nature of this time and what we should be focusing on and how we should prepare for the upcoming High Holidays.
My teacher, R. Dov Moshe Lipman, last year pointed out that the verse actually contains two more words: "I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me, the shepherd among the Roses" (Song of Songs 6:3). G-d is being compared to a shepherd and we to roses. The first metaphor is clear, G-d loves us and takes care of us like a shepherd cares for his flock. But what of this comparison to roses ? What does it mean?
Elsewhere we also see ourselves being compared to roses. Thus, "I will be to Israel like the dew, and he [Israel] will blossom like a rose" (Hosea 14:6). The great Rav Hirsch beautifully comments, "The Lord is ready at all times to send Israel the dew of revival. Let Israel only open its heart, as the rose unfolds its petals, and turn it upward to accept the life-giving dew drops of God's word" (commentary of Psalm 80). Thus, one meaning of the comparison is that just as roses must open spread out their pedals to receive needed water, we must open ourselves up to receive G-d. Based on this, I think we can say that opening ourselves up, i.e. Teshuva, should be one of our goals during this month of Elul.
Let's think about this, about what Rav Hirsch is saying, for a moment. What is Teshuva? It means returning but returning to what or whom?
Rav Hirsch is not saying that our task is to become somebody else, rather, our goal is to unfold our pedals, essentially, to be ourselves. Just as the rose unfolds its pedals and reveals its true beautify, so must we return to ourselves, to who we really are deep inside.
Rav Soloveitchik gives expression to this idea:
"[Man is ignorant.] Let me qualify: when I say man is ignorant, I do not refer to his scientific achievements; in this area modern man is clever and ingenious. What man fails to comprehend is not the world around him, but the world within him, particularly his destiny, and the needs of which he is supposed to have a clear awareness… Quite often man loses himself by identifying himself with the wrong image. Because of this misidentification, man adopts the wrong table of needs which he feels he must gratify. Man responds quickly to the pressure of certain needs, not knowing whose needs he is out to gratify. At this juncture, sin is born. What is the cause of sin, if not the diabolical habit of man to be mistaken about his own self? ... While, in sin, man mis-identifies and alienates himself from himself, in the case of Teshuva he reverses the process of mis-identification: he discovers himself, and 'returns' to his true self" (Redemption, Prayer, and Talmud Torah, pages 7-9).
[[My friend Yona Meir, showed me a piece from Rav Kook's Orot HaTeshuva where he makes the same point. See also Ein Ayah on Shabbas regarding Chanukah. See On Repentance page 182-186, Redemption, Prayer, and Talmud Torah pages 7-9, and http://tamimah.blogspot.com/2006/07/parshas-chukasbalak-this-is-in-merit.html for more sources from Rav Soloveitchik. Many, many more sources point to the need to develop one's uniqueness. Thus, Alei Shor 1 page 20, Reb Yaakov Kamenetsky's biography page 51, my Rav, Rabbi Pasternak's two interpretations of Sen Chelkenu BiSorasecha, please put our portion into Your Torah and please let us find our own unique portion in Your Torah, Bemidbar Rabbah 13:14 regarding the Princes and how halacha transforms us from a flashlight to a laser beam - I am sure I wrote about this but can't remember when. My Rosh Yeshiva, R. Wolicki, mentioned (sicha 9/14/06) Rav Levy Yitzchak of Berditchiv of Lech Lecha and order of places Abraham is to leave. If I remember correctly, Rav Hirsch there says the same thing.]]
Having established that our task during this month is Teshuva, meaning returning to ourselves, I would like to use this to explain three issues in this week's parshah.
"Today you are all standing before God your Lord - your leaders, your tribal chiefs, your elders, your law enforcers, every Israelite man, your children, your women, and the proselytes in your camp, from the woodcutters to the water drawers" (Deuteronomy 29:9-10).
The intention of this verse apparently is to show that all Jews were gathered together. But then, how do we understand "from the woodcutters to the water drawers" ? This is like saying 'I like all fruits, from green apples to red apples'! They must be referring to two different groups but what is the difference?
My Rosh Yeshiva, R. Pesach Wolicki, said (sicha 9/14/06) metaphorically, we could say that woodcutters and water drawers refer to two different ways of "standing before G-d." Sometimes we need to have obstructions and barriers, which obscure our true selves, cut away (woodcutters) and sometimes we need to have the depths of our personalities drawn out (water drawers).
"This commandment that I am prescribing to you today is not too mysterious or remote from you. It is not in heaven, so [that you should] say, 'Who shall go up to heaven and bring it to us so that we can hear it and keep it ?' It is not over the sea so [that you should] say, 'Who will cross the sea and get if for us, so that we will be able to hear it and keep it?' It is something that is very close to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can perform it" (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
What exactly is this commandment? Ramban says it refers to teshuva. This can explain why we are told it is within our hearts. Teshuva is returning to ourselves, a more glorious personality is embedded deep within each of us, we just need to let it shine forth.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses! Before you I have placed life and death, the blessing and the curse. You must choose life, so that you and your descendants will live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Free choice is in our hands. We can choose life and live or choose death and die. The consequences for choosing wrongly are quite grave! But wait a second, exactly what do "life" and "death" mean ? It cannot mean that if we do not keep the Torah, we will literally die; plenty of non-observant Jews live long lives.
I understand this verse to be a command for us to choose to live our own life, not another's! If we do not return to ourselves and live our own lives, we will in effect, be choosing death because living another's life is not life.
[[Although not the simple explanation, I take the text out of the contextual meaning because the command is in singular]]
Food for further thought and discussion:
Rav Soloveitchik (Redemption, Prayer, and Talmud Torah) says two ways we can discover our true selves are Torah study and prayer. How will prayer help us discover our true selves ? And how can we practically implement this in preparation for the High Holidays?
Have a good Shabbas,
Mordechai
posted by Mordechai18 at 1:26 AM
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