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Weekly Reading Insights: Devarim
5780
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Overview of the
Torah Reading
To be read on Shabbat Devarim - 4 Av 5780 /July 25
Shabbat Chazon
Torah: Deut. 1:1-3:22
Haftorah: Isaiah 1:1-27 (3rd of the Three Haftorahs of
Affliction)
Pirkei Avot: Chapter
2
Devarim is the 1st Reading out of 11 in Deuteronomy and
it contains 5972 letters, in 1548 words, in 105 verses
Overview: All of the Book of Devorim
takes place in the last forty days of Moshe's life. He begins by reviewing
many of the Jews’ desert travels, wars and conquests, the appointing of judges,
the spies’ sin and the nation’s subsequent punishment. G-d promises to help
Yehoshua conquer in the Land of Israel as He helped Moshe conquer the lands
of the Emorites and Bashan (the present day Golan) which were given to the tribes
of Reuven, Gad, and part of Menashe.
 An
Essay from
Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, Director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
Ostensibly, this week and even this Shabbat is a sad time. We
are in the month of Av when we mourn the destruction of the first and second
Temples. It is Shabbat Chazon, the last and final Shabbat of the Nine Days of
mourning and just before the fast of the 9th of Av when we read the sad prophecy
of Yishayahu [Isaiah]) that starts with the word chazon ("vision").
And we start the book of Devarim and read parshat Devarim which contains,
for the most part, the rebukes of Moshe to the Jewish people before he dies
and they go on to enter the Holy Land.
A Jew in general, and chassidim in particular are forbidden to let sadness overwhelm
them.
The Talmud (Taanit 26b) says about Av, "When Av arrives, we lessen our
happiness." In simple terms the Talmud is telling us, be less happy. But
we can read it a different way. One of the customs of these nine days is that
we express our mourning by not eating meat or drinking wine or taking pleasure
trips. So chassidim read the expression from the Talmud in a positive way. When
Av arrives we lessen (the eating of meat, drinking wine and taking pleasure
trips). How do we do this? We do it with happiness, knowing that G-d is soon
going to build the third Temple! And even more. When we are happy, we sap the
strength of all the negative energies.
Shabbat Chazon also has a brighter side. There is a tradition to call Shabbat
Chazon, "A big Shabbat!" Rebbe Avraham of Sadigura says that when
you bring light into a dark place, it is most dear to us. So when you have dark
and sad days like these and we have a holy Shabbat, so full of spiritual light,
it is an especially uplifting experience. This is what it says in Tehillim/Psalms
(31:20). "How great is Your goodness that You hid for those who fear You."
During the time of exile, G-d hides His goodness in all the negative events
that happen, called in Hebrew dinim ("judgements"). Just like
G-d's true kindness that was hidden will be revealed in the world to come, so
also on Shabbat, which is a taste of the world to come, there is extra light
to help us overcome the darkness
.
Even in parshat Devarim, we find something positive at the very beginning.
The first verse is, "These are the words (devarim) that Moshe said
to all of Israel on the other side of the Jordan [River]." ( Devarim /Deuteronomy
1:1). You have a big question here. Why is G-d being vague? In general, the
Torah use the expression "the other side of the Jordan" to refer to
the 156 miles of land that is bordered on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
The place where Moshe was speaking to the Jewish people actually had its own
name, the Plains of Moav. Why does the Torah use the expression, "the other
side of the Jordan" when the location has its own name?
The answer is connected to the identity of the book of Devarim. As we wrote
above, most of the book is the rebukes of Moshe said just before the Jewish
nation entered the Holy Land. Because they were at a critical moment in Jewish
history, the important point was not about where they were but rather about
where they were going. On a human level, what is the Torah teaching us? To succeed
in the journeys of our lives - what is the most important single factor? Not
to look back. Not to get stuck in the trials and tribulations of where we were.
To look forward. To see the goal. For the Jewish people at that time, it was
to cross the Jordan. For the Jewish people now it is how to bring Mashiach.
I just recently heard a story from Shalom Rubashkin, a chassid unjustly sentenced
to 27 years in jail for a white-collar crime that is usually a two to three-year
sentence. Miraculously, he was released after "only" eight years.
He made a decision when he was first imprisoned that since G-d runs the world
he would not, no matter what happened, lose his faith. After all attempts to
secure his release failed, a very famous and influential West Coast attorney
was informed of the case. He worked pro bono for years, clocking in hundreds
of hours, focusing on a certain angle of the case that, from his genius perspective,
should have led to a significant reduction of the 27-year sentence. Everyone
was waiting in anticipation for the answer of the court. It was a Sunday during
visiting hours and Shalom could see that his visitors were sad. He asked them
what was bothering them. They finally revealed that the appeal had been rejected.
A normal person would have been terribly affected. Shalom said, "No. It
is all up to G-d, I am not going to lose my faith even for a moment!" Because
the appeal had been rejected, the case was brought before the President of the
United States. After President Trump reviewed the case, he commuted Shalom Rubashkin's
sentence. The victory came from the rejection! The lesson: Never lose hope.
When you bring in spiritual light you dispel all the darkness.
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul.
________________________________________
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading,
see the archive.
FROM
THE SAGES OF KABBALAH ON KabbalaOnline.org
Specifically, for an overview
of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists,
and more,
click to Devarim
one sample:
Mystical Classics
Destruction of Body and Soul
By Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz; adapted from Shenei Luchot HaBrit by Eliyahu Munk
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
To continue, click
here.
For a free email subscription to our weekly anthology, click
here.
For another taste of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety of subjects,
click to the our
weekly Kabbalah magazine
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