Weekly Reading Insights:
Devarim 5771
Weekly Reading Insights:
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Overview
of the Weekly Reading 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 (L:4471/Devarim) (for a free weekly email subscription, click here) We are now at the end of the annual three week period of mourning for the destruction of the Temples. The Torah tells us how to act outwardly during this time - many of the standard laws of mourning apply - but how is a Jewish person supposed to react inwardly to sad events that happen, now or in the past? The Rebbe of Toldos Avraham Yitzchok tells a story in connection with this week's Torah portion. Rabbi Shmelke of Nikelsberg and his brother, Rabbi Pinchas of Frankfort, the author of the book, "The Hafla'ah," once came to the Magid of Mezrich and asked: How can a person fulfill the requirement of the Mishna to thank G-d for the bad things in life just like you thank Him for the good? The Magid sent them to speak to the famous Rebbe Zusha, and they found him living in extreme poverty. Yet when they asked him this question, he stood up in amazement and said that he couldn't help them because he didn't understand what bad is at all and therefore he didn't understand the mishna. His sincere words were the answer they needed. This is the true meaning of the verse in this week's portion (2/7), "G-d is with you, you will lack nothing." When a person is completely attached to G-d he understands that G-d gives him what he needs, and he does not feel any pain or discomfort because everything he has is good. But not everyone is capable of reaching the level of seeing everything as good, certainly not at all times. The Holy Ari, whose yahrzeit is the 5th of Av (Thursday evening and Friday) suggests another perspective. The Talmud (Brochos 17a) says, "A man's end is death and an animal's end is slaughter and all will eventually die." This is a pretty morbid statement. The Ari explains: The Almighty created a world composed of four kinds: inanimate, plants, animals and humans. Each of them is elevated by the one above it. The inanimate or mineral world is elevated by the plant world that absorbs it. The plant world is elevated by the animal world that eats it. And similarly the animal world by the humans. This is the meaning of the phrase, "The end of an animal is slaughter." Its end is its elevation. But the system is not completed until man is elevated. Through a person's death the soul returns to its heavenly source and becomes fully attached again to the Almighty, completing the cycle. This is the inner meaning of, "…all will eventually die." Everything's ultimate rectification and completion is through death. From this perspective, bad things do happen, but they are purposeful. In a talk about the 7th day of Av (the day the Talmud records as the day when the inner sanctum of the holy Temple was defaced and destroyed), the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains how we are supposed to react to sad events. The Rebbe asks, "Why does the Torah even record this tragic day? Certainly not to cause pain and sadness about something that happened almost 2,000 years ago. Rather, tragic events are supposed to push each of us to a higher level of action in our own lives, to work to hasten the final redemption and the rebuilding of the holy Temple. We see this in what the Midrash says: The lion (the Greeks and Romans) rose and destroyed the lion of G-d (the holy Temple)… in order that the lion (the Mashiach) will come and rebuild the lion of G-d (the third Temple). So it is with remembering the 7th day of Av each year.
We see that another year has passed and we still have not
merited the final redemption, and worse, that on these days,
terrible, tragic things have happened. But this knowledge
is only in order to give each person extra strength and
power from the depths of his heart to actualize the promise,
"the lion will come and rebuild the lion of G-d."
Additionally, when we demand the redemption of every single
Jewish person, and call out to G-d that enough is enough,
we create a unity with all members of Israel. And even more,
by doing something, by adding in Torah study and mitzvah
observance and the giving of tzedakah, we add to our unity,
and in dispelling the very reason for exile (disunity) we
will bring about the final redemption. Shabbat Shalom, Shaul Please also read my weekly Shabbat Law, below. (for
a free weekly email subscription, click
here) "Hear the causes between your brethren and judge
honestly between each person." (1:16) Devarim "Moses began (ho'il) to explain this law."
(Deut. 1:5)
The passage "Nacheim - take comfort" is recited
in the afternoon service of Tisha B'Av because Mashiach "is
born" on Tisha B'Av afternoon. This means that the time of
Mincha (the afternoon service) is the time when "mazalo,
his spiritual source, shines powerfully." Each year for the
past two thousand years, on Tisha B'Av afternoon, Mashiach receives
new power and new strength, and from year to year, this influence
grows more powerfully. from the Chabad Master series, produced by Rabbi Yosef Marcus for www.ascentofsafed.com and www.kabbalaonline.org For a free email subscription to the Chabad Master series, click here. See our Kabbalah site, KabbalaOnline.org Specifically,
for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
one sample: Zohar
To continue, click here. For a free email subscription to our weekly anthology, click here.
this week's: Sunday night - Monday is "Rosh Chodesh"
(New Moon Day of the month of) Menachem-Av, which is also
the yahrzeit of Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first
High Priest. Sample:
By Moshe Miller |
Divine
Encounter in Egypt
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Introduction