Weekly Reading Insights:
Devarim
5781
Weekly Reading Insights:
Devarim | |
Overview
of the Torah Reading
To
be read on Shabbat Devarim, 8 Av 5781/July 17, 2021
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)
This Wednesday (July 14th, 2020) is the yahrzeit
(the anniversary of the day of his passing) of the 16th century Kabbalist, Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria, referred to as the holy Arizal [1]. On the yahrzeit of
a great person like the Ari, annually, all his accomplishments in the world are
revealed at ever higher levels, allowing each of us to tap into his holiness and
spiritual power. His teachings, transcribed and elucidated by his main student
Rabbi Chaim Vital, are called The Eight Gates. The amazing stories [2] written
about the Arizal inspire the Jewish world even today, opening the door for the
coming of Mashiach.
One of these teachings that affects each of us is the
Arizal's emphasis that everyone must study Torah's inner dimension, particularly
in these dark days before Mashiach's arrival. "It is a mitzvah to reveal
this (hidden) wisdom" (Introduction to the first of the Eight Gates, Shaar
HaHakdamot). Just like a candle in a dark room, a map, or today's Waze help us
navigate confusing terrain, Torah's hidden wisdom helps us understand what is
going on in the world. Kabbalah, which is focused on the mechanics of the higher
spiritual worlds, and Chassidut, explain how this world works and help us reach
our personal goals successfully, fulfilled and happy, rather than stressed and
lost.
The Torah portion Devarim is always read in proximity to the Arizal's
yahrzeit. Another great Jewish scholar and Kabbalist whose teachings were influenced
by the Arizal, the Shelah [3], writes that by Divine providence, important calendar
events are hinted at in the weekly portion. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains an
interesting point in our portion and connects it to the holy Arizal.
The
whole of the final book of the Torah (Devarim/Deuteronomy) contains Moshe's instructions
(and criticisms) to his flock before his passing, as they are about to enter the
Holy Land. Moshe waited to the very end of his life to criticize the Jewish nation
both as a kindness and to make sure the people would listen (Rashi [4] on Devarim
1:3). Sometimes the criticisms were said openly. But often, to protect the honor
of the people, they were said as hints. In this week's portion, Moshe hints to
two groups of the Jewish people who behaved inappropriately in connection with
the Manna, (the bread from Heaven), the primary food that the Jewish people ate
during the forty years in the desert.
The first group were those who wanted
meat and complained about the miraculous manna (discussed at length in Parshat
Behaalotcha: Bamidbar/Numbers11:1-11) that, since it was not natural bread, it
did not digest properly. The second group were excited by the manna and ate nothing
else. These were the tribes of Gad and Reuven. Since they ate only manna, they
had an abundance of livestock. This was their excuse not to go into Israel, but
rather to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan, where there was a lot of grazing
land.
Gad and Reuven enjoyed the miracle food and excluded themselves from
the challenges of the intensive "natural" labor that was needed to cultivate
the new homeland. The former wanted only what was "natural" and disdained
any miraculous assistance.
On a deeper, more subtle inner level, the two groups
are hinting to two incorrect approaches to the study of Torah. In general, Torah
study is referred to as food for our soul. Similarly, spiritual, miraculous food,
(the manna) is a reference to the Heavenly spiritual dimension of the Torah, the
Torah's inner dimension, Kabbalah and Chassidut. There are some people who only
want to study the inner Torah and choose to neglect the study of the physical
commandments and the whole world-based view of the Torah, like the tribes of Reuven
and Gad. And there are some, like the first group, who don't study the inner dimensions
of Torah at all. They focus only on the revealed down to earth aspects. How the
Torah relates to the physical plane.
Moshe chided them both. Neither is
the correct way to come into the Holy Land or to achieve our goals in our day
to day lives (which is like entering the Holy Land). This is certainly not the
way to bring the final redemption. In order to reach our goal, to conquer the
Holy Land, to conquer our day to day challenges, fulfill our Divine purpose and
make reality a Jewish home, we have to be connected to both the spiritual, Divine
world and yet also be ready to work with the realities on the ground; ready to
jump in with the grit and hard work needed to overcome all obstacles.
Studying
the inner dimension of the Torah helps us see the world as a spiritual place.
And that is how we will succeed in conquering its challenges.
(Adapted from
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. Likkutei Sichot.("Collected Talks"): An
Anthology of Talks. Kehot Publication Society. Volume 9. Page 14).
After
Rabbi Moshe Cordevero passed away, many of his students began learning with the
Ari, except for Rabbi Chaim Vital. He was living at the time in Damascus and refused
to come to the Ari in Tsfat.
Every night the Ari would appear to Rabbi
Chaim Vital, talk to him, teach him and draw his soul to come to him in Tsfat.
"Chacham (wise one) Rabbi Chaim, why don't you come to me? Know that
I came to this world in order to make a tikkun (spiritual correction) for
your soul and reveal to you supernal secrets that have not been revealed since
the world was created!"
Each morning, Rabbi Vital would go to his
students and make light of what he had heard during these nocturnal visits because
he thought himself wiser than the Ari. At that time, he was working on a commentary
on the Zohar. After some time, he decided that he would travel to the Ari. He
wanted to know whether the Ari was as knowledgeable and holy as people related.
As
soon as Rabbi Chaim arrived in Tsfat, he visited the Ari and presented him with
a difficult piece of Zohar in order to see how the Ari would decipher the text.
This was meant to be a test of sorts, as Rabbi Chaim was already thoroughly confident
in his understanding of the text. The Ari proceeded to explain the selection from
the Zohar, teaching deep mystical secrets, whereupon Rabbi Chaim began to ask
him a flurry of questions. The Ari answered each question and opened windows of
spiritual light, so impressive that Rabbi Chaim felt that his soul was about to
leave his body.
Then the Ari told Rabbi Chaim, "You are not fitting
to hear more." Rabbi Chaim's spirit was broken. He fasted, wore sackcloth
and covered himself completely in ashes in deep mourning. He cried bitterly in
a great outpouring of his soul, praying to G-d that he finds favor in the eyes
of the Ari, so that the Ari would become his teacher.
The next day he returned
to the Ari, prostrated himself and kissed the Ari's feet and hands. He cried and
begged, "Don't abandon me. Don't push me away. Please accept me as your student!"
The Ari responded, "I had to wait many months for you to come to me. I shouldn't
accept you, but those ashes helped you. I will not withhold any of my wisdom from
you. These inner secrets will be revealed only to you, and no others."
Rabbi
Chaim joined the Ari's students, but he would forget everything that he learned
until the following incident…
Rabbi Chaim described his initiation into
the Ari's new approach to Kabbalah as follows: "When I [first] came to my
teacher of saintly memory [the Ari] to study this wisdom under him, he was about
to leave for Tiberias. He took me with him. We boarded a boat, and as we were
sailing [across the Kinneret] at a point opposite the arches of the Old Synagogue
of Tiberius, my teacher dipped a cup into the water and gave it to me to drink.
He told me that now I would be able to grasp this wisdom [the teachings of Kabbala]
for I had just drunk water from the well of Miriam [which is buried in the Kinneret].
From that time on I began to enter the depth of this wisdom."
Rabbi
Chaim remarked that the works of earlier kabbalists, from after the Ramban [Nachmanides,
4955-5030 (1195-1270 CE)] until the Ari, were built on mortal intellect, whereas
the teachings of his master, the Ari, were revelations received by the Ari through
Divine inspiration (Ruach HaKodesh).
(Adapted from Shivchei HaAri, Moshe
Miller, Rabbi Chaim Vital. Kabbalah Online. https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380648/jewish/Rabbi-Chaim-Vital.htm
and other sources).
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:
Zohar
Divine Encounter in Egypt
From the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai;
translation and commentary by Shmuel-Simcha Treister, based on Metok MiDevash
Even
though Israel were slaves and were exposed every day to all types of sorcery and
similar wickedness designed to lead people astray, nonetheless they didn't alter
their customs or stray from the path of holiness.
To continue, click here.
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For another taste of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety of subjects,
click to the our
weekly Kabbalah magazine
