Overview
of the Weekly Reading
To be read on Shabbat Devarim - 9 Menachem Av 5775
/July 25
Shabbat Chazon
Torah: Deut. 1:1-3:22
Haftorah: Isaiah 1:1-27 (3rd of the Three
Haftorahs of Affliction)
Pirkei Avot:
When the 9th of Av fall on Shabbat we do not read Pirkei Avot
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)
The Lord your G-d spoke to us in Horeb saying, "You
have sojourned too long! Turn and travel and arrive at the Amorite
mountain and all of its neighbors.." (Deut. 1:6)
The book of Deuteronomy contains Moses’ last words of advice
and admonishment before his passing and the entrance of the Jewish
people into the Holy Land. Moses’ words contain tips for spiritual
survival, not only for that generation, but also for every generation
afterwards, including (and especially) our generation. Following,
are some of the nuggets of wisdom embedded within Moses’ words:
Moses quotes G-d telling the Jewish people, "You have sojourned
too long!" (Deut. 1:6-7). "Sojourning" alludes to
a spiritual complacency—staying at one spiritual level without
moving on to the next stage at the appropriate time. When we are
content with going in circles, our souls are blocked from their
natural tendency to thrive and grow.
The verse continues: "at this mountain," referring to
Mount Sinai where we received the Torah. Even remaining at Sinai,
studying and sponging up Torah, is not the optimum activity for
us. We also have to be making an impact on others, influencing them
for the better. Focusing exclusively on self-development, on our
own activities only, even when they are spiritual in nature, will
eventually prevent us from advancing, and even cause us to spiritually
regress.
"Turn and travel and arrive at the Amorite mountain and all
of its neighbors." In kabbalah, the nation of Emor represents
our negative side, that which opposes holiness (bad character traits,
keeping G-d at a distance, etc.). Referring to the "Amorite
mountain," we are encouraged to perceive that negativity like
a mountain—difficult to climb, out of our reach, and not at
all enticing. This is why the verse emphasizes the word "arrive."
Judaism is a specific journey; the mitzvahs are precise guides.
We are not meant to meander around true spirituality, just passing
through. We are supposed to arrive at the perception that the negative
is an absolute barrier in front of us. The classic source, Tanna
D'bai Eliyahu, understands "arriving" to mean taking in,
inheriting, and integrating. The concept of inheritance in relation
to this “mountain” of negativity reminds us of our mission
to retake the sparks that were lost, that only we have the potential
to liberate.
After all this is navigated successfully, we come to the end of
verse, "until you come to the great river, the Prat River."
(Deut. 1:7) The Prat River was far away from Israel, designating
the expansion of Israel's borders. Through the service above—distancing
ourselves from negative forces and positively influencing our environment—we
will merit to expand Israel's borders into the land of the Kini,
Knizi, and Kadmoni. (From a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 1958)
The Shelah writes in his commentary on Tractate Taanit (page 328)
that the weekly Torah readings are connected to the calendar events
that happen around them. The Shelah asks how can it be that the
same three portions, Matot, Masai and Devarim, are always read during
the Three Weeks? These portions speak about the victories of the
Jewish people over the nations, the dividing of the Land and the
final preparations for entering Israel. This appears paradoxical
to the period of the Three Weeks which commemorates the destruction
of the Temples and our exile from the land. However, these fast
days and days of mourning are not permanent; with our redemption
they will be transformed into holidays and days of joy. Specifically
through our efforts now in these days of exile and our heartfelt
yearning to see the Jewish people reunited in Israel with the Third
Temple, we will bring the final redemption and our everlasting dwelling
in the Holy Land.
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.
____________________________________________
This
week's story from Yerachmiel Tilles, managing editor of ascentofsafed.com
and kabbalaonline.org
From
the Kabbalah Commentaries on the Chumash ("5
Books of Moses")
13th
century - "RambaN"
- Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman
14th
century - "Bachya"
- Rabbi Bachya ben Asher
16th
century - "Alsheich"
- Rabbi Moshe Alshech of Tsfat
17th
century - "Shelah"
- Rabbi Yeshaiya Horowitz
18th
century - "Ohr
HaChayim" - Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar
a sample for this week:
Ohr HaChayim
."…which Moses spoke, etc." [1:1]
Inasmuch as Moses commences with hinting at Israel's insubordination
already at the Sea of Reeds, the present generation might
well have countered that there was no point in dragging
up sins committed by people who had long since died. After
all, the last of the 600,000 men whose death had been decreed
as a result of the sin of the spies had died on the 15th
of Av previously. The Torah therefore teaches that if Moses
had spoken in G-d's name, such a complaint might have been
justified. However, Moses personally was not bound by such
considerations and he considered it important to remind
those who had been younger than twenty at the time of the
Exodus to look back on a string of insubordinations the
people had been guilty of already at that stage of the Exodus.
While it was quite true that the Celestial Court sentences
only people above the age of 20, the same is not true of
courts administered by judges on earth who consider males
over 13 years as fully liable for their actions. When Moses
"dragged" up these ancient sins, he had in mind
all those who had been at least 13 years old at the time.
(Selected with
permission from the five-volume English edition of Ohr HaChaim:
the Torah Commentary of Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar, as translated
and annotated by Eliyahu Munk.
The holy Rabbi Chayim ben Moses Attar was born in Sale,
Western Morocco, on the Atlantic in 1696. His immortal commentary
on the Five Books Of Moses, Or Hachayim, was printed in
Venice in 1741, while the author was on his way to the Holy
Land. He acquired a reputation as a miracle worker, hence
his title "the holy," although some apply this
title only to his Torah commentary.)
For the rest of "The Masters of Kabbala
and Chumash" on this
Weekly Reading; and on all
the other Readings.
|
FROM
THE SAGES OF TSFAT AND GALILEE 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:
Contemporary
Kabbalists
 Back
to the Land
From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov
Wisnefsky
For the first four books of the Torah, Moses conveyed G-d's message
verbatim; the exalted level of the generation of the desert allowed
him to serve as a transparent channel.
To continue,
click
here.
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For another taste of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety
of subjects,
click on the icon to go to our weekly Kabbalah magazine.
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