Our Parsha this Shabbos of Rosh Chodesh Elul , is Parashas Re'eh . The Haftorah for this portion is the third from Isaiah of consolation on the third Shabbos after Tisha B'Av which is in Yeshayahu Isaiah 54:11 - 55:5 , but seeing as this Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh and Rosh Chodesh Elul , most congregations read the Haftorah for Shabbos Rosh Chodesh in Yeshayahu Isaiah 66:1-24 , where its last part refers to Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh . We also read from the book of Numbers 28 : 9-15 as Maftir on Rosh Chodesh as the Seventh Aliyah of the Shabbos Torah Reading .
In our Parsha this week of " Re'eh , " HaShem Puts Before us a choice , depending on whether we follow Him or not, a Bracha or K'lala , a Blessing or Curse . HaShem Instructs that when the Children of Israel enter the Land of Israel , then they are to stand separated on two different mountains Gerizim and Ebal and deliver the Blessings and Curses and they are to say Amein to each , while the Levi'im stand in the valley between . More detail is given of this in Devarim 27:11-26 of how it is to be done and Gemorrah Sotah goes into the details of how it was performed .
Moshe continues his words to the people reminding them to keep HaShem's Commandments and that when they enter the Land of Canaan , they are to destroy all the places and altars that the other nations that were there , had built for idol worship and burn their idol worshiped trees in fire , cut down their carved images and erase all names of idols from This Holy Land .No longer would it be permitted to use private altars , for offerings were now to be brought to where HaShem chooses . Moshe warned that when meat was eaten , the blood was totally forbidden . The Laws of Tithes are then mentioned and Moshe reminds us that when we enter the Land of Israel , we are not to be attracted in any way to the nations idols or idol worship , for it is an abomination to HaShem . Nor may we seek out how these nations followed and worshiped their idols so as to do likewise , Chas Ve Shalom . Even the ways and doings of the pagans are totally forbidden . The Gemorrah Avodah Zorah goes into detail of how we may not even take the things that the other nations do for their false idols , and do those things for HaShem , for the ways of the pagans and idol worshipers are totally abominable , as an example , where these nations would burn their own children and parents for their deities , and believed in human sacrifices for atonement of sin , where HaShem Warns us that a human sacrifice for sin or atonement is totally forbidden and not the Way of G-D or His Commandments , we are thus forbidden such abominations .
HaShem Then has Moshe teach us of what to do with false prophets . In this Sedra , HaShem Through Moshe , teaches us that we are in no way to add to or lessen on the Torah and Commandments of HaShem , for the Torah of HaShem Is Perfect and Whole As It Is . Thus HaShem Will Not Ever Come and Give another addition to His Laws and Torah for HaShem Gave Tanach Complete and as a Single Perfect Testament , never to add to or subtract from but to keep It as It Is Forever , for HaShem's Torah Is full and complete for eternity . HaShem Will Never Come and change His Laws . Thus , as it points out in this Sedra in Devarim Perek Yud Gimmel ( Chapter 13 ) , that should a person come and claim to be a prophet or dreamer of a dream and come and produce for you a wonder or sign or miracle that comes about , yet he asks you or entices you to go and follow pagan or idol ways or ways unfamiliar to Torah , thus changing HaShem's Laws even to a minute degree , HaShem Warns us not to in any way listen to the words of that person , even if he claims to be a prophet and performs signs or miracles or wonders and we are not in any way to take any notice of such a person , who even talks of new laws that are totally foreign and contraditory to The Torah Of G-D , or talks of changes in the Laws of G-D , Chas Ve Shalom , they are thus a false prophet and we are not in any way to listen to such a man or woman or any such thing , no matter what feat they perform . HaShem Tells us that He is Testing us to see if we will remain faithful to Him Alone and discount this false man or false prophet or dreamer of a dream .Oh how our fellow Jews have listened to this very Law , through time , no matter how much pressure or threat was made to us , no matter how we died for The Truth of HaShem's Oneness and this Law .We have proved our faithfulness to HaShem with this , through the middle ages and up until and beyond today . HaShem our G-D shall we follow ( and nothing and no one else or anything false purporting to be Him ) , and Him shall we fear ( not the threats and murderous actions of those who killed us to change our belief and faith ) , His Commandments shall we observe ( and no other texts or testaments or new ideals ) , and to His Voice shall we hearken ( and to no one else who tries to persuade us of other ways not in Torah ) and Him shall we serve ( and no other person man or woman or anyone who professes deitiship ) and to Him shall we cleave ( and to no other person who claims he is falsely deified or other ways that are not Torah that will actually take one away from HaShem ) for HaShem Is One - Devarim 6:4 , and HaShem Instructs us what to do with this false prophet or dreamer of a dream who tried to take us away Chas Ve Shalom , from HaShem's Laws and Ways and Commandments and Torah . HaShem Instructs us to destroy the evil from our midst . HaShem Continues To Instruct us that even if this false person is a member of our family Chas Ve Shalom , still we are not to tolerate their waywardness and not have pity on them at all but to deal with them as HaShem Instructs us to do in His Torah , as this is the most merciful thing we can do , to protect others from this person's attempts to lead others astray and away from HaShem's Ways , Chas Ve Shalom . HaShem Continues to teach us of the Ir Hanidachas - The Wayward City , where a city has gone astray and followed other ways that are not Torah , following paganism or idol worship , HaShem Instructs that this city is to be investigated and if it is such a wayward city , then the inhabitants of the city are to be smitten with the edge of the sword , laying waste everything that is in it , gathering all the booty to the open square , to be burnt completely and it shall be an eternal heap , never to be rebuilt and no part of the banned property from there is to adhere to our hands , thus doing what is right to HaShem our G-D . Our Sages Believe there was never such a city as this , and so this Commandment was never tested , so why would HaShem Give us this Commandment then ? They answer that this is a perfect example of how we can gain kavod for studying Torah , for to just study this part , HaShem Has Given us merit and gives us merit for studying Torah . There are other Poskin that think there may have been such a city in history .
HaShem Then Reminds us of how treasured a nation we Jews are to Him and thus must keep ourselves pure and holy , not cutting ourselves or tearing out our hair for the dead , as others used to do in days of old . We are not to eat the abominations that many other do and here HaShem Reviews some of the Laws of Kashrus and what animals , birds and fish are permitted to us and that we are not to cook a kid in its mothers milk where in Torah , these same words are mentioned three times , where our Sages teach that there are three parts to this prohibition , which includes not mixing meat and milk , not cooking them together or eating them together .
The Laws of Tithes are then Taught and the different Tithes we need to bring , from Tithes we separate for the Leviim , to Tithes given to the poor on various years , to Tithes brought to Yerushalaim to be eaten there , all of the Seven year period , where in the Seventh year Sabbatical Year , Remission of Loans is to be given . Even if a person asks for a loan near the seventh year , it is to be given , even if remittance will come soon and Hillel instituted the Prozbul to ensure that the lender would feel comfortable that his loan would not be a loss for the loan was passed on to the Beis Din to collect and so was it handled , for this Law of Remittance of Loans teaches us that HaShem Is To Be Trusted , whenever we give to the needy that we are not in anyway losing , but gaining so much spiritually and HaShem Rewards Goodness , not that this should be a reason to give . Thus HaShem Tells us never to close our hands to our needy fellow . This Law leads us to the Laws of the Jewish Bondsman who works for a fellow Jew and how that Bondsman is to be let go in the Seventh year , not empty handed , but released liberally adorned generously from our flocks and threshing floor , yet if they feel so well treated by you ( which they should be ) , and choose not to be free , which is not how they should act , for we are only Slaves to HaShem , then HaShem Gives them a little reminder of the slavery tie in Egypt That HaShem Freed us from , and the doorposts their on which we placed our signs that were on the Mezuzos Doorposts , and that slave that doesn't want to free himself gets taken to a doorpost and an awl put through his ear and the door , man or maidservant the same , so as to remind him that he should have gone free as HaShem Freed us from Mitzrayim . Though they must go free in the Yovel Jubilee Fiftieth Year . HaShem Teaches us to then sanctify every firstborn male of our cattle and flocks and to sanctify them to HaShem . The Parsha ends with HaShem Through Moshe , teaching of the Pilgrimage Festivals Yomim Tovim of Pesach ,Shavuos and Succos and how three times a year on these Festivals , all males are to appear before HaShem our G-D in Yerushalaim with the goodness of what HaShem Blessed us with where the pilgrims would spend time near the Temple and see the Avodas that the Kohanim perform and be a part of the Holy Actions of Yerushalaim and see the Kohanim and Learned ones doing their holy work and study in Yerushalaim , thus gaining very great spiritually , being in such a Holy atmosphere and place . The three Pilgrimage Festivals are times of rejoicing and that is a Mitzvah , to rejoice at our time to be close to HaShem .
This Parsha is called " Re'eh " which means " See . " What is it we are to see? We are to see that HaShem Has Given us a choice to climb by our own choice or fall by our own choice . The Parsha uses the word " Hayom , " - " Today , " showing that " Today , " which is every day and not just then , HaShem Gives us every day , this choice to See to listen to Him and Hopes we won't disobey Chas Ve Shalom .
Every day we awaken , this choice is put in front of the two eyes we see with and are given , whether to do every moment as HaShem Wants , which will come with its resultant Brocha Blessing or to disobey in every moment , contrary to what HaShem Wants , which comes with its resultant Curse . We note the idea of the number two here , where we have two choices and two eyes that " Re'eh " - " See . " So we have enough of a picture to make the right holy choice for HaShem and us . And this brings us a hint . We act according to what we tend to perceive or rather what we feel strongly that we are perceiving , even though it is actually just that , our own perception . We can't , even with the two eyes we have been given , really see the whole picture . Thus we are to trust HaShem and listen to Him for He Alone Knows the whole picture and He Alone Sees the full picture . Note how I said 'our perception , ' for that is exactly what it really is we see . Two people can be looking at the same object that is coloured differently on different sides and both will maintain that the colour they see is the colour of the object , yet each one will claim the object is a different colour from their own point of view . Both will claim they are right and from their point of view , are to a certain extent right , but they are both wrong about what the other person is seeing or experiencing , even though they are both looking at the same object . This is so how we see people . We imagine or rather let me refer to it as perceive that we are seeing the full picture and are so sure we are right about what we are seeing , yet that is in truth totally impossible , for only HaShem Can Truly See another as they really are . Maybe to a certain extent we can see our own view and experience as it is , to a point , but for sure , the other person certainly cannot see beyond what they really don't know , and that is when the mind tries to cover the difference , by making totally subconscious assumptions which that person then acts on , feeling they are totally right , even though in true reality , they are so far from it . The sad thing too , is that when one sees things as one thinks they are , the mind tends to feed that thought with more of the same kind of negativity , to the point where that person doesn't even realize anymore how far they actually are from the true reality of the situation .
We do the same with HaShem , for what we think we see , is so far even more far out from the true reality and truth , for with HaShem , Who Sees All Things from All Angles , All at once , we are always so wrong at what we think we see regarding how we see things and perceive the view of what confronts us . And so HaShem In His Mercy , in order To Save our choices so we make the right ones in order to grow spiritually , Tells us here in this Parsha " Re'eh Anochi Notein Lifneichem Hayom Bracha U'Kelalah ," - " See , I Present Before you today a Blessing and a Curse . " Note the word " Lifneichem , " - " Before you , " that HaShem Put in here . What is this coming to tell us and how does this help us choose ? The answer to this is right there in front of us . The way to help ourselves keep HaShem's Commandments , is to always put HaShem " Lifneichem " - " Before us , " for if we forever Keep HaShem Before us , always there , then we can never stumble . We need to always keep in our thoughts and mind , HaShem Is forever there , before us in all we do , knowing that all we do , HaShem Sees , in the day and in the Night , for to HaShem , day and night is the same , for all is Light to HaShem . The destination we come to , is always the choice we made , whether it is with the people that are around us , or with HaShem Himself , so HaShem, Knowing of our Yetzer Horah , Gives us a solution , and that is to always keep HaShem before us in all we do , and that way , we will perceive HaShem in everything and never make a mistake to not keep His Laws , for we know that HaShem is Always There And Watching and is in everything we meet , and so must we always give HaShem and all things the benefit of the doubt to the best we can , that which we don't always see the full picture of , and if we keep HaShem Always " Lifneichem , " - " Before " us , then we will start to see the fuller picture and be rewarded with Brochas in abundance , ( That HaShem Wants To Give us ) , that we led ourselves to and not K'lalot that is led to by disobedience to HaShem's Word .
Doing this and obeying HaShem's Commandments of Torah, we will brighten this World and Creation and so bring this World and Creation to the time of Mashiach ( seven in Gematriah ) which is the exact number ( seven ) of Hebrew words in the first verse of this Parsha , and then we will truly see things as they really are in Olam Habah ( which is referred to as the number eight in Gematriah - the number above seven ) , where the first word of this Parsha " Re'eh " has the Gematriah of eight. ( 206 where 2 + 6 = 8 ) , where in Olam Habah , The World To Come , we will " Re'eh , " - " See " The Essence of The Shechinah of HaShem . May it come soon in our days , with the Love of HaShem .
I wish HaShem With Sweet Love , A Very Special , Sweet and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chodesh Tov Elul With Love , and to all of my fellow Jews and to all of Creation , a Special Sweet and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chodesh Tov Elul with love .
Friday, 30 August 2019
Friday, 23 August 2019
Parashas Eikev
Our Parsha this Shabbos is Parashas Eikev . The Haftorah for this week , the second Shabbos after Tisha B'Av is Yeshayahu Isaiah 49:14 - 51:3 . This is the Second consolation Haftorah after Tisha B'Av , Where HaShem Reassures us How He Will be there for us and How He Will Make Zion into Eden and how we Jews are a light unto the nations .
In this Parsha Moshe continues his discourse to the Children of Israel , and starts in this Parsha by reminding us of the " Eikev " - " Reward " that will come when we listen to HaShem's Ordinances , Observing and Performing them , that HaShem Will Safeguard the Covenant and the Kindness He Made With our Fore-Fathers , To Love us , Bless us and Multiply us , Blessing the Fruit of the Womb and the Fruit of the Land , grain ,wine and oil , the offspring of our cattle , flocks of sheep and goats , on the Land that HaShem Swore To our Fore-Fathers To Give us . HaShem Will Make us the most Blessed of all people , with no infertile male or female among us or our animals , Removing from us every illness and the bad maladies of Egypt known by us , Not Putting them On us , But On our foes . HaShem Will have us overcome others and we must never follow their idols , for doing so would be a snare for us Chas Ve Shalom .
HaShem Reassures us that we must not fear our enemies even if they are more numerous than us , for HaShem Will Do Battle For us . HaShem Here in the Torah through Moshe , Mentions the " Tzir'a ," - " Hornet swarm ." This particular insect , HaShem Used , to assist Yehoshuah Joshua in the conquest of Canaan . This was a special kind of hornet that had such a stinger , that its venom was completely destructive . There were also incidents where this Hornet swarm remained on the Eastern Side of the Jordan and lined up in the air , pointing their stingers toward the inhabitants of Canaan and , With HaShem's Miracles, were able to actually spray their poison in the air , right over and across the Jordan , that completely blinded and incapacitated the Canaanite enemies . So Says HaShem through Moshe that HaShem Will Deliver their kings into our hands and Instructs us to burn in fire their carved deities and idols and even the silver and gold that some of them were made from , we are to destroy , as the very metal itself , having been used for Avodah Zorah Idol Worship , took on negativity that could ensnare . This Commandment Goes for all Time , not to allow , By The Commandment of G-D Himself , any form of idol worship , be it inanimate object or falsely deified concepts , such is not to be in the Holy Land Of HaShem . This Land of Eretz Yisroel is to be kept Pure and Free of any form of idol worship or anything that is not allowed in The Torah Of HaShem . HaShem's Commandments are our Life and The Pathway to True Life and keeping them helps us gain Life . Moshe then reminds us How HaShem Tested us with the Manna , which is also to teach us that we are not to 'Live By Bread Alone , But Rather Everything That Emanates From The Mouth Of G-D , Does Man Live . " Thus ones main focus in life must not be to always chase parnassa ( a livelihood ) but to serve HaShem , in learning , word , obedience to HaShem and deed . Moshe reminds us of the sweetness of the Land To Which HaShem Was Bringing us . A Good Land , with streams of water , springs and underground water , a Land of wheat , barley , grape , fig and pomegranate , a Land of oil-olives and date honey , a Land where we will eat bread without poverty , lacking nothing , a Land rich in minerals .
HaShem Warns us through Moshe that we are to take care not to forget HaShem our G-D , by not following His Commandments , when we eat to satiety ( a time when people tend to forget HaShem , From Where the Goodness Comes ) . HaShem through Moshe Reminds us How He Took us out of Mitzraim egypt , Leading us Safely Through a great Wilderness , where there was a monstrous sized snake and a fiery serpent and scorpion , where HaShem Gave us water from the Well of Miriam . We are reminded to never forget that all our success and everything we have , comes from HaShem , not us .Should we go after the idols of others , we will perish and the Land of Israel will disgorge us . Israel is a Holy Land and Is Created not to tolerate idol worship and disobedience to HaShem .
Moshe reminds us of the battles HaShem Helped us with of Og and Sichon and then reminds us of what we did with the Cheit Ha'Eigel - the golden calf and then Moshe talks of how he had to ascend to gain forgiveness for us and how HaShem Allowed Moshe to carve a second set of Tablets and how Moshe instructed on the making of the Mishkan . Moshe then refers to Aharon's passing . Moshe speaks of the Yam Suf and how HaShem Split the waters for us to walk through on dry land and then what happened to Dathan and Aviram and his company .
Moshe speaks of the beautiful virtues of the Land of Israel , of how the rain that falls there , is directly from Shamaim Heaven , a Land where HaShem's ' Eyes , ' Are Always Upon It . '
Moshe then gives us what became the second verse of our Shema Prayer , talking of the Rewards for following HaShem's Commandments and to be careful not to follow other ways and religions Chas Ve Shalom , and that we are never to follow idols , for if we do Chas Ve Shalom , we will be banished from the Land and HaShem Will Restrain the rain and the ground will not produce . We are reminded to place These Words of HaShem on our heart and soul . The Tefillin are then mentioned and the Law to teach our children wherever we are and how we are to place Mezuzos on our doorposts of our house inside and out . Moshe Tells us to observe the Commandments of HaShem and to love Him and to walk in His Ways and Moshe tells us that no on will be able to stand up to us , if we follow HaShem . This is where the Parsha ends .
So HaShem Is Very Clear To us that if we listen to Him and follow His Commandments , Then He Will Bless us , " Eikev " - with the Beautiful " Reward " mentioned in this Sedra . But if we don't hearken to His Commandments then we will be punished and thrown out of the Land of HaShem's Gift . The word " Eikev ," means " Reward ," and so Will HaShem Reward us for faithfulness in Him and Obedience to His Word and Torah . But the word " Eikev , " also has within it ,the word ' Akeiv , ' - ' heel ,' like Yaakov's name ' that had this root and so was Yaakov called Yaakov for he was born holding on to the 'heel ' of Eisav . But what is a ' heel ? A heel is the foundation of the body on which we stand . So putting it into this context , HaShem Is Telling us that The Torah and HaShem's Laws , are the very foundation of Life upon which we are able to ' Stand , ' for without It , we would ' fall . ' This is what is in the very meaning of many verses in this Parsha , where Moshe reminds us that the Laws of HaShem are to be kept and that they are our very path to life . So HaShem's Commandments are to be kept always , not just for the sake of receiving a " Reward , " but for the very love we are to have for HaShem . The Commandments of HaShem are our path to HaShem . The Commandments are for our benefit . HaShem Is Totally Selfless and Gives us The Commandments for our benefit , so in actual fact , the Commandments themselves are actually the " Eikev , " - The " Reward , " and that is also why they are the ' Akeiv , ' the - ' Foundation and Heel , ' for us to stand up and live , for the Mitzvos Commandments are the very heart of the Reward that brings us to HaShem and all the Spiritual Beauty that awaits.
This can make us ask , why the righteous who keep HaShem's Commandments suffer and the ones who don't , sometimes prosper . One of the answers to this , is in the word " Eikev , " which is Gematrically 70+100+2 = 172 and 1+7+2 = 10 - The Ten Commandments - The basis and foundation of all the Mitzvos . The Number 10 is also the number of Completion , where HaShem Made Ten Pronouncements to Create Creation And thus is the Essence of all , that isn't physically visible or apparent right now . This is the same as the Reward for the righteous , for truly , the rewards in this physical World are not adequate and limited to really reward Torah Mitzva Observance to the Spiritual True Value that a Mitzvah actually Gains . Only Gan Eiden with its Holy Abundance of Real Spiritual Never Ending Value and Beauty is " Eikev , " - Worthy enough a " Reward , " ( where this Physical World cannot possibly be adequate enough a reward to come close to the reward deserved and brought about Spiritually by even keeping just one of HaShem's Commandments , and so , the righteous , are really still to get their due reward in worthy payment from the Heights of Holy Shamaim , where only there , is there adequate Amazing Specialness , worthy to be payment for Obedience to HaShem . The righteous , thus are Rewarded , but in the true proper and worthy " Eikev ," in Shamaim and also the World To Come Olam Habah which will link in time to come to be the same , for only there , can a worthy " Eikev , " - " Reward , " Equal the Keeping of the Mitzvos . This is why , the True " Eikev , " - " Reward , " is actually the Commandments of the Torah that leads to this Holy Specialness .
So now we still have to answer why some of the ones that don't do as they should , why do they still prosper . The answer to this is within the same place . The ones who don't do as HaShem Wants , are just receiving their transitory physical reward , for everyone does do some good . But the True " Eikev , " - " Reward , " that has lasting and real eternal value , they will lose , for they have had their full reward according to the physical that means most to them . It will be as temporary as the valueless choices they have made , in following their own way .
The Creation is too deep for us to fathom . Nothing is as it appears . We are too small and know so little . HaShem Gave us His Laws to Keep , as the True " Eikev , " - " Reward , " To Help us Bring ourselves back to Gan Eiden , from where we left and so , is the only way to return to HaShem's Intended Destination for Creation . The Ten Pronouncements that HaShem Made in Creating Creation which I mentioned above , appears in the Gematriah of the word " Eikev " - " Reward , " Which HaShem Pronounced as Ten Pronouncements in Creating Creation , was HaShem's Gift of Giving us all A Creation and Life . By keeping The Torah in all Its Beauty , HaShem Gave us a Precious Gift " Eikev , " - " Reward , " of Eternal Value that will take us into The Eternal Intended Result that Creation Started out being . That Gift is HaShem's Torah and Its Laws . Creation is built on it's Foundation , the Torah , written 2000 years before Creation took place and so , it is the True " Eikev , " - " Heel or Foundation , " ( and the real Reward ) On Which HaShem's Creation is based . As our Sages say , ' HaShem Looked Into The Torah And Created The World . " Thus The Torah was there before the Physical , and so It Is The True Reward of Creation that Came Afterward , and Its " Eikev ," - " Reward , " rises above the Physical ( that wasn't there yet at the time ) , and so , observance of Torah can truly be paid Spiritually in Shamaim and in the New World of Olam Habah . Just as we don't see the whole picture , so can we not possibly fathom the true Reward coming to the Righteous , all because they chose of their own volition , to step out of themselves and their own wants , and do as HaShem Wants . Thus the righteous help uphold and are the " Eikev , " - " Heel and Foundation " of helping holding up Creation . HaShem Will Surely Bless them With True Value " Eikev , " - " Reward , " for they Keep HaShem's Torah Commandments and so , reflect HaShem 's Light to the World .
So may we all work to join with the righteous and keep HaShem's Torah , doing our utmost to make beloved , every Law HaShem Gives and do our utmost to follow and keep every Law HaShem Rewards us with . Thank You Most Beautiful And Beloved HaShem For Your Precious Gift of Torah . Thank You HaShem For You , Oh Most Sweet And Most Ever Beloved HaShem .
I wish our Beloved HaShem , A Very Sweet And Most Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh With Eternal Love , and to all my fellow Jews and to all of Creation , a Very Sweet and Most Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with Love .
In this Parsha Moshe continues his discourse to the Children of Israel , and starts in this Parsha by reminding us of the " Eikev " - " Reward " that will come when we listen to HaShem's Ordinances , Observing and Performing them , that HaShem Will Safeguard the Covenant and the Kindness He Made With our Fore-Fathers , To Love us , Bless us and Multiply us , Blessing the Fruit of the Womb and the Fruit of the Land , grain ,wine and oil , the offspring of our cattle , flocks of sheep and goats , on the Land that HaShem Swore To our Fore-Fathers To Give us . HaShem Will Make us the most Blessed of all people , with no infertile male or female among us or our animals , Removing from us every illness and the bad maladies of Egypt known by us , Not Putting them On us , But On our foes . HaShem Will have us overcome others and we must never follow their idols , for doing so would be a snare for us Chas Ve Shalom .
HaShem Reassures us that we must not fear our enemies even if they are more numerous than us , for HaShem Will Do Battle For us . HaShem Here in the Torah through Moshe , Mentions the " Tzir'a ," - " Hornet swarm ." This particular insect , HaShem Used , to assist Yehoshuah Joshua in the conquest of Canaan . This was a special kind of hornet that had such a stinger , that its venom was completely destructive . There were also incidents where this Hornet swarm remained on the Eastern Side of the Jordan and lined up in the air , pointing their stingers toward the inhabitants of Canaan and , With HaShem's Miracles, were able to actually spray their poison in the air , right over and across the Jordan , that completely blinded and incapacitated the Canaanite enemies . So Says HaShem through Moshe that HaShem Will Deliver their kings into our hands and Instructs us to burn in fire their carved deities and idols and even the silver and gold that some of them were made from , we are to destroy , as the very metal itself , having been used for Avodah Zorah Idol Worship , took on negativity that could ensnare . This Commandment Goes for all Time , not to allow , By The Commandment of G-D Himself , any form of idol worship , be it inanimate object or falsely deified concepts , such is not to be in the Holy Land Of HaShem . This Land of Eretz Yisroel is to be kept Pure and Free of any form of idol worship or anything that is not allowed in The Torah Of HaShem . HaShem's Commandments are our Life and The Pathway to True Life and keeping them helps us gain Life . Moshe then reminds us How HaShem Tested us with the Manna , which is also to teach us that we are not to 'Live By Bread Alone , But Rather Everything That Emanates From The Mouth Of G-D , Does Man Live . " Thus ones main focus in life must not be to always chase parnassa ( a livelihood ) but to serve HaShem , in learning , word , obedience to HaShem and deed . Moshe reminds us of the sweetness of the Land To Which HaShem Was Bringing us . A Good Land , with streams of water , springs and underground water , a Land of wheat , barley , grape , fig and pomegranate , a Land of oil-olives and date honey , a Land where we will eat bread without poverty , lacking nothing , a Land rich in minerals .
HaShem Warns us through Moshe that we are to take care not to forget HaShem our G-D , by not following His Commandments , when we eat to satiety ( a time when people tend to forget HaShem , From Where the Goodness Comes ) . HaShem through Moshe Reminds us How He Took us out of Mitzraim egypt , Leading us Safely Through a great Wilderness , where there was a monstrous sized snake and a fiery serpent and scorpion , where HaShem Gave us water from the Well of Miriam . We are reminded to never forget that all our success and everything we have , comes from HaShem , not us .Should we go after the idols of others , we will perish and the Land of Israel will disgorge us . Israel is a Holy Land and Is Created not to tolerate idol worship and disobedience to HaShem .
Moshe reminds us of the battles HaShem Helped us with of Og and Sichon and then reminds us of what we did with the Cheit Ha'Eigel - the golden calf and then Moshe talks of how he had to ascend to gain forgiveness for us and how HaShem Allowed Moshe to carve a second set of Tablets and how Moshe instructed on the making of the Mishkan . Moshe then refers to Aharon's passing . Moshe speaks of the Yam Suf and how HaShem Split the waters for us to walk through on dry land and then what happened to Dathan and Aviram and his company .
Moshe speaks of the beautiful virtues of the Land of Israel , of how the rain that falls there , is directly from Shamaim Heaven , a Land where HaShem's ' Eyes , ' Are Always Upon It . '
Moshe then gives us what became the second verse of our Shema Prayer , talking of the Rewards for following HaShem's Commandments and to be careful not to follow other ways and religions Chas Ve Shalom , and that we are never to follow idols , for if we do Chas Ve Shalom , we will be banished from the Land and HaShem Will Restrain the rain and the ground will not produce . We are reminded to place These Words of HaShem on our heart and soul . The Tefillin are then mentioned and the Law to teach our children wherever we are and how we are to place Mezuzos on our doorposts of our house inside and out . Moshe Tells us to observe the Commandments of HaShem and to love Him and to walk in His Ways and Moshe tells us that no on will be able to stand up to us , if we follow HaShem . This is where the Parsha ends .
So HaShem Is Very Clear To us that if we listen to Him and follow His Commandments , Then He Will Bless us , " Eikev " - with the Beautiful " Reward " mentioned in this Sedra . But if we don't hearken to His Commandments then we will be punished and thrown out of the Land of HaShem's Gift . The word " Eikev ," means " Reward ," and so Will HaShem Reward us for faithfulness in Him and Obedience to His Word and Torah . But the word " Eikev , " also has within it ,the word ' Akeiv , ' - ' heel ,' like Yaakov's name ' that had this root and so was Yaakov called Yaakov for he was born holding on to the 'heel ' of Eisav . But what is a ' heel ? A heel is the foundation of the body on which we stand . So putting it into this context , HaShem Is Telling us that The Torah and HaShem's Laws , are the very foundation of Life upon which we are able to ' Stand , ' for without It , we would ' fall . ' This is what is in the very meaning of many verses in this Parsha , where Moshe reminds us that the Laws of HaShem are to be kept and that they are our very path to life . So HaShem's Commandments are to be kept always , not just for the sake of receiving a " Reward , " but for the very love we are to have for HaShem . The Commandments of HaShem are our path to HaShem . The Commandments are for our benefit . HaShem Is Totally Selfless and Gives us The Commandments for our benefit , so in actual fact , the Commandments themselves are actually the " Eikev , " - The " Reward , " and that is also why they are the ' Akeiv , ' the - ' Foundation and Heel , ' for us to stand up and live , for the Mitzvos Commandments are the very heart of the Reward that brings us to HaShem and all the Spiritual Beauty that awaits.
This can make us ask , why the righteous who keep HaShem's Commandments suffer and the ones who don't , sometimes prosper . One of the answers to this , is in the word " Eikev , " which is Gematrically 70+100+2 = 172 and 1+7+2 = 10 - The Ten Commandments - The basis and foundation of all the Mitzvos . The Number 10 is also the number of Completion , where HaShem Made Ten Pronouncements to Create Creation And thus is the Essence of all , that isn't physically visible or apparent right now . This is the same as the Reward for the righteous , for truly , the rewards in this physical World are not adequate and limited to really reward Torah Mitzva Observance to the Spiritual True Value that a Mitzvah actually Gains . Only Gan Eiden with its Holy Abundance of Real Spiritual Never Ending Value and Beauty is " Eikev , " - Worthy enough a " Reward , " ( where this Physical World cannot possibly be adequate enough a reward to come close to the reward deserved and brought about Spiritually by even keeping just one of HaShem's Commandments , and so , the righteous , are really still to get their due reward in worthy payment from the Heights of Holy Shamaim , where only there , is there adequate Amazing Specialness , worthy to be payment for Obedience to HaShem . The righteous , thus are Rewarded , but in the true proper and worthy " Eikev ," in Shamaim and also the World To Come Olam Habah which will link in time to come to be the same , for only there , can a worthy " Eikev , " - " Reward , " Equal the Keeping of the Mitzvos . This is why , the True " Eikev , " - " Reward , " is actually the Commandments of the Torah that leads to this Holy Specialness .
So now we still have to answer why some of the ones that don't do as they should , why do they still prosper . The answer to this is within the same place . The ones who don't do as HaShem Wants , are just receiving their transitory physical reward , for everyone does do some good . But the True " Eikev , " - " Reward , " that has lasting and real eternal value , they will lose , for they have had their full reward according to the physical that means most to them . It will be as temporary as the valueless choices they have made , in following their own way .
The Creation is too deep for us to fathom . Nothing is as it appears . We are too small and know so little . HaShem Gave us His Laws to Keep , as the True " Eikev , " - " Reward , " To Help us Bring ourselves back to Gan Eiden , from where we left and so , is the only way to return to HaShem's Intended Destination for Creation . The Ten Pronouncements that HaShem Made in Creating Creation which I mentioned above , appears in the Gematriah of the word " Eikev " - " Reward , " Which HaShem Pronounced as Ten Pronouncements in Creating Creation , was HaShem's Gift of Giving us all A Creation and Life . By keeping The Torah in all Its Beauty , HaShem Gave us a Precious Gift " Eikev , " - " Reward , " of Eternal Value that will take us into The Eternal Intended Result that Creation Started out being . That Gift is HaShem's Torah and Its Laws . Creation is built on it's Foundation , the Torah , written 2000 years before Creation took place and so , it is the True " Eikev , " - " Heel or Foundation , " ( and the real Reward ) On Which HaShem's Creation is based . As our Sages say , ' HaShem Looked Into The Torah And Created The World . " Thus The Torah was there before the Physical , and so It Is The True Reward of Creation that Came Afterward , and Its " Eikev ," - " Reward , " rises above the Physical ( that wasn't there yet at the time ) , and so , observance of Torah can truly be paid Spiritually in Shamaim and in the New World of Olam Habah . Just as we don't see the whole picture , so can we not possibly fathom the true Reward coming to the Righteous , all because they chose of their own volition , to step out of themselves and their own wants , and do as HaShem Wants . Thus the righteous help uphold and are the " Eikev , " - " Heel and Foundation " of helping holding up Creation . HaShem Will Surely Bless them With True Value " Eikev , " - " Reward , " for they Keep HaShem's Torah Commandments and so , reflect HaShem 's Light to the World .
So may we all work to join with the righteous and keep HaShem's Torah , doing our utmost to make beloved , every Law HaShem Gives and do our utmost to follow and keep every Law HaShem Rewards us with . Thank You Most Beautiful And Beloved HaShem For Your Precious Gift of Torah . Thank You HaShem For You , Oh Most Sweet And Most Ever Beloved HaShem .
I wish our Beloved HaShem , A Very Sweet And Most Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh With Eternal Love , and to all my fellow Jews and to all of Creation , a Very Sweet and Most Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with Love .
Friday, 16 August 2019
Parashas Va'Eschanan
Our Parsha this week is Parashas Va'Eschanan , just after Tisha B'Av , and so our Haftorah is one of comfort , Isaiah 40:1-26 ( always read on the Shabbos after Tisha B'Av ) , where HaShem Comforts us that our time of exile is finished .
In this Parsha , Moshe continues his speech to the people .
Moshe starts speaking in this Parsha of how he implored HaShem to let him enter the Land . Moshe felt that HaShem Had just Given him the task of destroying our enemies Sichon and Og and so , he felt that HaShem Might Relent on the decree of not letting him enter the land , and so Moshe hoped HaShem Would Allow him into Canaan .
We see the anguish in Moshe's plea of how desperate he was to come into Israel and so , fulfill the Mitzvos pertinant to the Land of Israel , but HaShem Said No .
We note a sadness in Moshe's words of how , we were responsible for him not being able to go in , for we angered Moshe at the the Waters of Merivah . So many times did Moshe pray for us . So sad that not once did we ever pray for Moshe to go into the Land . Moshe tells how HaShem Took him to the top of the Mountain and Moshe got to see a view more brilliant than anything any human being could have possibly seen.
Moshe reminds us to listen to HaShem's Commandments , which will be our life and enable us to live in the Land . Moshe warns us not to in any way add to or subtract from HaShem's Word , as so many other religions sadly do . But we are to observe the Commandments As HaShem Gave them . Moshe warns against Avodah Zorah Idol Worship . Moshe also praises our beautiful Laws that we were given . Then Moshe reminds us of how we all stood at the foot of Har Sinai , while it burnt around it with fire up to Shamaim , also dark and thick cloud and How HaShem Spoke To us From the Midst of the Fire . How HaShem Who Has No Form , Gave us the Ten Declarations and How HaShem Inscribed Them On Two Stone Tablets and How HaShem Had Moshe instruct us in HaShem's Decrees , and Ordinances to be performed when we enter Eretz Yisroel . Moshe then warns us not to make any form of any animal , bird or fish or man or woman on Earth , or to look to stars , sun or moon to worship , for this is Idol Worship . Moshe again repeats how HaShem Was Angry at him because of us and so , doesn't let him go over the Jordan . And so , Moshe warns us to guard and keep the Commandments of HaShem and never to make any idols but to remain faithful to HaShem Only . Moshe foresees the corruptness that will come and how we will make and worship idols further on into the future , when Moshe will not be there and so , he calls Heaven and Earth that will be there as witnesses of what will happen if we disobey , for punishment that comes to us , is from HaShem via what is in Heaven and on Earth . For if we turn to Idol Worship , HaShem Will scatter us among the nations and Put us into Galus Exile . It will be there that we will seek HaShem our G-D and if we truly repent , HaShem Will Relent . The Cities of Refuge are again Reviewed for the Unintentionally Murdered to flee there .
Moshe then repeats the Ten Commandments
We note that Moshe's Repetition of the Ten Commandments are almost the same , except here HaShem , in referring to Shabbos , Commands us to Safeguard the Shabbos , whereas in Parashas Yisro , HaShem Told us to Remember the Shabbos , for these two injunctions of the Shabbos From HaShem are to be strictly followed , to Remember and Safeguard Shabbos always , and so for these two Commands , we light two Sabbath Candles every Shabbos and have two Challot . Our Sages said that when HaShem Said The Commands in Parashas Yisro , HaShem Said them both within the same Instant , and we are to Remember the Holiness of the Sabbath at all times during the Sabbath so as not to break Shabbos , Chas Ve Shalom in any way and thereby Safeguard Its Laws so as to Remember HaShem Who Took us out of Egypt so as to Give us the Torah . The Holiness of Shabbos must pervade our all , right through Shabbos thus Remembering Shabbos at every instant and so , to help us , we are to Safeguard all Shabbos Laws , that HaShem Has Commanded us .
When Moshe repeats the Commandment not to covet , we note that HaShem , When Giving the Commandment , put the house first , but here , Moshe puts not coveting one's fellow's wife first . HaShem in His Care wanted to save the man his embarrassment and so , put the house first , so as to not specifically highlight the man's natural Yetzer Horah . Moshe , knowing they were about to go into the land , wanted to be very specific and thus highlight that a man's wife should not be coveted , for he knew that in the land where HaShem Will Not show the same Miraculous Closeness as we had in Bamidbar , wanted to be more specific with the men , so as to make this Commandment more direct , so as to make sure it is more specifically pointed out .
Moshe reminds the people of how , at Har Sinai , they begged HaShem not to Talk to them directly , for they were not on Moshe's Level to be able to stand HaShem's Voice , for when HaShem Spoke to them there , the people actually expired and died and had to be revived ( some Rabbis say they expired twice and had to be revived twice ) , and so they begged Moshe to please speak instead , after hearing the Commandments from HaShem . Moshe felt they should have listened to it directly from HaShem . Even the giving of HaShem's Ten Commandments was Miraculous in so many ways , for HaShem Spoke all the Commandments at once in the same instant and time frame . Also , HaShem Spoke them to each and every Jew,in the way each and every Jew would Comprehend it so that each and every Jew would get the same meaning as it was really intended , all spoken at the same instant . Even the Letters on the Tablets were miraculous , for some letters are round and thus carved right through , yet they remained within the Tablets floating in the air within the Tablets . The Letters read the same the right way , on either side of the Tablets , oh the Beautiful Miracles of our Beloved HaShem .
Within this Parsha is also the first verse of our Shema prayer , that we say morning and night as Commanded within the prayer itself from these very Torah words here in this Parsha . Our Rabbis have told us that Yaakov was concerned that perhaps one or more of his sons were not righteous enough and so they said to their Father , " Shema Yisrael HaShem Elokeinu HaShem Echad , " - " Hear O Israel , HaShem Is our G-D , HaShem Is One . " In referring to Israel , this was Yaakov's name and so they were telling him how HaShem is our G-D and that HaShem Is One . Our Rabbis say that Rabbinically , Yaakov in happiness responded with the words , " Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuso Le'Olam Va'ed , " - " Blessed Be His Name Forever and Ever . " These words don't appear here in Torah after the first verse and thus , when we recite the Shema , we say this second line softly .
We note that in a Torah Scroll , the letters ' Ayin ' and 'Daled ' are made bigger and more pronounced . There are various reasons for this . Put together , these two letters spell ' Eid ' which means ' Witness ' for we as the Jewish people are Witness to the World , to HaShem's Oneness , and so it is our task chosen , to bring HaShem's Oneness to the rest of humanity . The letter ' Ayin , ' has the numerical value of ' 70 , ' reminding us of the number of Jewish souls that originally went down ino Mitzrayim egypt . There are also 70 ways to interpret The Torah and 70 deep definitions for each word in The Torah . Also 70 is the number of nations of the World . The ' Daled , ' refers to the four directions that make up the physical , suggesting How HaShem Fills all things .
When saying this verse , we are to emphasize and prolong the ' Daled ,' so as to highlight HaShem's Oneness .
The Shema verses here tell us to Love HaShem with all our heart, soul and might . Rabbi Akiva , who was murdered along with the other Martyrs , that we read of on Yom Kippur , faced a horrific death , where the Romans scraped his skin with iron combs . When he was going through such torture , his followers asked him why he is not showing the pain and his face showed a slight smile and this holy man responded that he rejoices in HaShem , to be able to give up his life for HaShem for now he can show how he fulfills these very words of the Shema to love HaShem with all he possesses, his heart , his soul now and all his resources . These words of the Shema also bring up another important fact , to teach our children at all times , not just at set times but even while sitting , walking on the way , reclining and arising thus at all times are we to teach about HaShem and His Laws . Our children are our future and we must make it the highest priority before fancy occassions and holiday trips to unholy places , to look to our children's Torah Education . That comes before physical material delights . The story is told of how many years ago , a Jewish family in the cold of their country sacrificed their warmth , and so , sold their stove and froze , just to ensure their child got a Torah Education . This child grew up to become a famous holy Rabbi called the Ridvaz that was so versed in Talmud , that he was referred to by his students when they lifted him up on Simchas Torah that they were picking up " the whole Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi ." So must be our mind set to ensure our children get a proper Torah Education , So Commanded By HaShem Himself.
The Shema here also brings up the wearing of Tefillin , of two black boxes with Torah verses in each , worn on our arm opposite the heart and on our heads , for so must all our thoughts and concentration and actions be toward HaShem . The Shema mentions Mezuzos , on our doorposts that are to be put on our doorposts and remind us in whose house we really reside , HaShem's , for all things belong to HaShem . Our Sages say that if we follow these signs of wearing Tefillin , Tzitzis and putting Mezuzos on our doors , then all negative forces have no power over us , knowing that we must put our intentions fully into these Miztvos .
Moshe then Speaks of how all things come from HaShem , Who Is Giving us a land prepared for us with abundance , on a platter . The previous inhabitants hid their wealth in the walls of their houses and we , are being given all these things from HaShem . We are reminded to always remember that everything we get is from HaShem and to appreciate HaShem For all the good that we receive From Him in Eretz Yisroel . Again we are cautioned about idol worship . We are not to test HaShem as we did at Massah . We are to always observe HaShem's Commandments Always and teach our children HaShem's Mitzvos and how HaShem Took us out of Mitzrayim .
HaShem Warns us through Moshe that when we come to the Land of Canaan , we are not to let the nations that were there before , influence us in any way , but we are to destroy them and their idol worshiping ways ( HaShem Always Knows Best ) , and not in any way make a covenant with them or show them favour and not intermarry with them , for they will pull our children to idol worship , Chas Ve Shalom . We are to smash apart their pillars ( of idol worship ) , ashera trees and carved images of idols are to be burnt . Thus Israel is to be kept as a Holy Land , with not a single drop of anything that is is not Torah , so all forms of anything that isn't Jewish from the Torah , is not to be in the Land at all , for Israel is to be kept Holy to HaShem . The same goes for all time , through today and always , and this is HaShem's Land and only His Laws and Commandments are to be there and no false religions of idol worship in any way . HaShem's Command . For , according to HaShem and Moshe in this Parsha , we are a holy people to HaShem , treasured above all in Earth following HaShem's Commandments Always . So ends the Parsha .
This Parsha of Va'Eschanan as I said starts out with Moshe imploring HaShem To Let Moshe enter the land . One has to ask , if one wants something so deeply from HaShem , how many times does one ask for it . Well , Moshe asked and pleaded with HaShem in different ways to the number of 515 times . This is how many times Moshe kept asking HaShem to please enter the Land of Israel .
We can see this if we take the Hebrew word " Va'Eschanan " - " Implore " and take its Gematriah , which comes to 515 . This is how many times Moshe Implored HaShem to enter the Land . We learn from this also that one must never give up hope asking for saving , even to the point where an executioner's sword is almost on the back of our necks , Chas Ve Shalom . Though in Moshe's case , who so deeply wanted to enter the land so as to perform the Mitzvos that can only be performed in Eretz Yisroel , was still turned down and told No . HaShem Who Is The Most Compassionate of Compassion, Still Told Moshe No . What was HaShem's Answer to Moshe's Imploring ? It was , " It is too much for you Moshe ," so what did that mean and What Reasons Could HaShem Have Had For Not Letting Moshe Into the Land at that time .
In answer to the first question , Moshe had gone so far in level , almost to the point of out of the physical and his next step , had to be a spiritual one . He had reached trhe 49th gate of Wisdom and so , to do more physically , had become unnecessary , and more would have been too much , more than he needed , thus HaShem Told him , " Dear Moishele , rest now , you have done enough and don't need to do more , for more is too much for you , so my dear Moishele , time to come home to Me . "
It was also time for Yehoshuah to have his time as Leader and it would not be proper for Moshe to be led by anyone then . The fact of Moishe's concern that he wanted to fulfill the Mitzvos only done in Eretz Yisroel , HaShem Gave him credit for these , just by the Laws of them that Moshe taught of them , from HaShem , that our people would fulfill in the Land . Moshe would get credit that way too ( for a teacher gets credit for what his student does , that the teacher taught that student ) . Thus , there was nothing more that Moshe needed to do for himself at that time, to gain heights of spiritual level and thus more would have been ' too much ' for him .
For why HaShem Chose not to let Moshe into the Land , I have mentioned a few reasons already , but there is another , that is hidden in the Gematriah of the word " Va'Eschanan , " , for HaShem's Action even here in Saying No , was " Chanan " - " Merciful , " , where the word ' Chanan ' appears in the word " Va'Eschanan . " But was was this Act of Mercy ?
If we take the Gematriah of the word " Va'Eschanan ,' that comes to 515 , our Sages tell us that this number shows a Secret .
We know that Moshe passed on in the year 2488 of the Jewish Calendar . We know from deep texts , that the time of the End of Days final Date , is to be the year 6093 ( we round it off to 6000 but 6093 is the exact figure ) from Creation . This means that Moshe passed on 3605 years before the time that will come of the End of Days . We know that HaShem makes Holy the Sabbatical Year , which is every Seven years . If we take this number 3605 , that is the number of years from Moshe's passing , to the date of the End of Days , 3605 divided by the number of Sabbatical Years between these two dates ( in other words the number of Sabbatical Years from Moshe's passing to the End of Days ) 3605 divided by 7 equals 515 , the exact number of times Moshe Implored HaShem , thus what Moshe was actually doing in Imploring these 515 times , was actually covering us all with his prayers from the time he wasn't physically with us then , right up until the time comes to the End Of Days . Thus Moshe was praying for our Forgiveness and Redemption even from then , right up until the End of Days , so caring was Moshe . So beautiful and Merciful Is HaShem and so far beyond our capacity of wisdom , Is HaShem , for He Has a Reason in everything He Does , even though it may not look merciful at the time , HaShem is too far beyond us and our limited capacity of intelligence and wisdom . It is also interesting to note , that the Malachim Angels also apparently pray 515 prayers a day to HaShem , and Moshe was now entering into a Spiritual Realm close to Hashem . So much a deep secret hidden in the word " Va'Eschanan . " For within the word too , it is shown that from the time Moshe prayed and implored ( showing that we too can pray and ask for things for all prayers have a purpose beyond what we may know ) , from that time on , it will last till the time HaShem Brings the Ultimate Mercy of the End Of Days , for the word " Va'Eschanan " can be separated into the words " Va Et Chanan ," which means , " And to the time of Mercifulness ," which will be at the End Of Days . It will be then , that ( the word )' Chet ' - ' Sin ' ( which appears in the middle of the word " Va'Eschanan " ) , will be no more and we will all live in a time of total Mercifulness .
So much did Moshe do for us all , right up until the End of Days , to Implore for each one of us , constant Mercy from HaShem .
This really teaches us all that HaShem Is Totally Merciful in all things , and that there is so much that we really don't know and that at all times , we need to have Emunah in HaShem , For He Knows All and HaShem Knows What Is Needed for All of us and all of Creation .
We may sometimes think things are not as we like or want , but none of us really know at all what we truly need . What we want is not what we need and what we need is not always what we want . Things may not always go as we would like , but then again , we know so little , so who are we , so small , to judge . We really know very little . We may think that things are hard and a struggle , but HaShem Has A Very Good Reason for All That He Does and For All that we go through , and even though we have no idea of the why's, we can be sure that HaShem Has A Much Needed Reason , for our sakes , for all that happens and all that we go through . For in all our " Va'Eschanan , " - " Imploring , " in the midst of it all , is HaShem's " Chanan ," - " Mercifulness , " That He Knows Best How To Bring All of Creation , to its Beautiful Destination , of the End Of Days , for us all to return and to be in Gan Eiden with our Beautiful Creator HaKadosh Baruch Hu The Holy One Blessed Be He .
I wish HaShem With Total Love , A Very Beautiful Special And Sweet Shabbos Kodesh With Love , and to all my fellow Yidden and Creation , a Very Beautiful Special and Sweet Shabbos Kodesh with Love .
In this Parsha , Moshe continues his speech to the people .
Moshe starts speaking in this Parsha of how he implored HaShem to let him enter the Land . Moshe felt that HaShem Had just Given him the task of destroying our enemies Sichon and Og and so , he felt that HaShem Might Relent on the decree of not letting him enter the land , and so Moshe hoped HaShem Would Allow him into Canaan .
We see the anguish in Moshe's plea of how desperate he was to come into Israel and so , fulfill the Mitzvos pertinant to the Land of Israel , but HaShem Said No .
We note a sadness in Moshe's words of how , we were responsible for him not being able to go in , for we angered Moshe at the the Waters of Merivah . So many times did Moshe pray for us . So sad that not once did we ever pray for Moshe to go into the Land . Moshe tells how HaShem Took him to the top of the Mountain and Moshe got to see a view more brilliant than anything any human being could have possibly seen.
Moshe reminds us to listen to HaShem's Commandments , which will be our life and enable us to live in the Land . Moshe warns us not to in any way add to or subtract from HaShem's Word , as so many other religions sadly do . But we are to observe the Commandments As HaShem Gave them . Moshe warns against Avodah Zorah Idol Worship . Moshe also praises our beautiful Laws that we were given . Then Moshe reminds us of how we all stood at the foot of Har Sinai , while it burnt around it with fire up to Shamaim , also dark and thick cloud and How HaShem Spoke To us From the Midst of the Fire . How HaShem Who Has No Form , Gave us the Ten Declarations and How HaShem Inscribed Them On Two Stone Tablets and How HaShem Had Moshe instruct us in HaShem's Decrees , and Ordinances to be performed when we enter Eretz Yisroel . Moshe then warns us not to make any form of any animal , bird or fish or man or woman on Earth , or to look to stars , sun or moon to worship , for this is Idol Worship . Moshe again repeats how HaShem Was Angry at him because of us and so , doesn't let him go over the Jordan . And so , Moshe warns us to guard and keep the Commandments of HaShem and never to make any idols but to remain faithful to HaShem Only . Moshe foresees the corruptness that will come and how we will make and worship idols further on into the future , when Moshe will not be there and so , he calls Heaven and Earth that will be there as witnesses of what will happen if we disobey , for punishment that comes to us , is from HaShem via what is in Heaven and on Earth . For if we turn to Idol Worship , HaShem Will scatter us among the nations and Put us into Galus Exile . It will be there that we will seek HaShem our G-D and if we truly repent , HaShem Will Relent . The Cities of Refuge are again Reviewed for the Unintentionally Murdered to flee there .
Moshe then repeats the Ten Commandments
We note that Moshe's Repetition of the Ten Commandments are almost the same , except here HaShem , in referring to Shabbos , Commands us to Safeguard the Shabbos , whereas in Parashas Yisro , HaShem Told us to Remember the Shabbos , for these two injunctions of the Shabbos From HaShem are to be strictly followed , to Remember and Safeguard Shabbos always , and so for these two Commands , we light two Sabbath Candles every Shabbos and have two Challot . Our Sages said that when HaShem Said The Commands in Parashas Yisro , HaShem Said them both within the same Instant , and we are to Remember the Holiness of the Sabbath at all times during the Sabbath so as not to break Shabbos , Chas Ve Shalom in any way and thereby Safeguard Its Laws so as to Remember HaShem Who Took us out of Egypt so as to Give us the Torah . The Holiness of Shabbos must pervade our all , right through Shabbos thus Remembering Shabbos at every instant and so , to help us , we are to Safeguard all Shabbos Laws , that HaShem Has Commanded us .
When Moshe repeats the Commandment not to covet , we note that HaShem , When Giving the Commandment , put the house first , but here , Moshe puts not coveting one's fellow's wife first . HaShem in His Care wanted to save the man his embarrassment and so , put the house first , so as to not specifically highlight the man's natural Yetzer Horah . Moshe , knowing they were about to go into the land , wanted to be very specific and thus highlight that a man's wife should not be coveted , for he knew that in the land where HaShem Will Not show the same Miraculous Closeness as we had in Bamidbar , wanted to be more specific with the men , so as to make this Commandment more direct , so as to make sure it is more specifically pointed out .
Moshe reminds the people of how , at Har Sinai , they begged HaShem not to Talk to them directly , for they were not on Moshe's Level to be able to stand HaShem's Voice , for when HaShem Spoke to them there , the people actually expired and died and had to be revived ( some Rabbis say they expired twice and had to be revived twice ) , and so they begged Moshe to please speak instead , after hearing the Commandments from HaShem . Moshe felt they should have listened to it directly from HaShem . Even the giving of HaShem's Ten Commandments was Miraculous in so many ways , for HaShem Spoke all the Commandments at once in the same instant and time frame . Also , HaShem Spoke them to each and every Jew,in the way each and every Jew would Comprehend it so that each and every Jew would get the same meaning as it was really intended , all spoken at the same instant . Even the Letters on the Tablets were miraculous , for some letters are round and thus carved right through , yet they remained within the Tablets floating in the air within the Tablets . The Letters read the same the right way , on either side of the Tablets , oh the Beautiful Miracles of our Beloved HaShem .
Within this Parsha is also the first verse of our Shema prayer , that we say morning and night as Commanded within the prayer itself from these very Torah words here in this Parsha . Our Rabbis have told us that Yaakov was concerned that perhaps one or more of his sons were not righteous enough and so they said to their Father , " Shema Yisrael HaShem Elokeinu HaShem Echad , " - " Hear O Israel , HaShem Is our G-D , HaShem Is One . " In referring to Israel , this was Yaakov's name and so they were telling him how HaShem is our G-D and that HaShem Is One . Our Rabbis say that Rabbinically , Yaakov in happiness responded with the words , " Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuso Le'Olam Va'ed , " - " Blessed Be His Name Forever and Ever . " These words don't appear here in Torah after the first verse and thus , when we recite the Shema , we say this second line softly .
We note that in a Torah Scroll , the letters ' Ayin ' and 'Daled ' are made bigger and more pronounced . There are various reasons for this . Put together , these two letters spell ' Eid ' which means ' Witness ' for we as the Jewish people are Witness to the World , to HaShem's Oneness , and so it is our task chosen , to bring HaShem's Oneness to the rest of humanity . The letter ' Ayin , ' has the numerical value of ' 70 , ' reminding us of the number of Jewish souls that originally went down ino Mitzrayim egypt . There are also 70 ways to interpret The Torah and 70 deep definitions for each word in The Torah . Also 70 is the number of nations of the World . The ' Daled , ' refers to the four directions that make up the physical , suggesting How HaShem Fills all things .
When saying this verse , we are to emphasize and prolong the ' Daled ,' so as to highlight HaShem's Oneness .
The Shema verses here tell us to Love HaShem with all our heart, soul and might . Rabbi Akiva , who was murdered along with the other Martyrs , that we read of on Yom Kippur , faced a horrific death , where the Romans scraped his skin with iron combs . When he was going through such torture , his followers asked him why he is not showing the pain and his face showed a slight smile and this holy man responded that he rejoices in HaShem , to be able to give up his life for HaShem for now he can show how he fulfills these very words of the Shema to love HaShem with all he possesses, his heart , his soul now and all his resources . These words of the Shema also bring up another important fact , to teach our children at all times , not just at set times but even while sitting , walking on the way , reclining and arising thus at all times are we to teach about HaShem and His Laws . Our children are our future and we must make it the highest priority before fancy occassions and holiday trips to unholy places , to look to our children's Torah Education . That comes before physical material delights . The story is told of how many years ago , a Jewish family in the cold of their country sacrificed their warmth , and so , sold their stove and froze , just to ensure their child got a Torah Education . This child grew up to become a famous holy Rabbi called the Ridvaz that was so versed in Talmud , that he was referred to by his students when they lifted him up on Simchas Torah that they were picking up " the whole Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi ." So must be our mind set to ensure our children get a proper Torah Education , So Commanded By HaShem Himself.
The Shema here also brings up the wearing of Tefillin , of two black boxes with Torah verses in each , worn on our arm opposite the heart and on our heads , for so must all our thoughts and concentration and actions be toward HaShem . The Shema mentions Mezuzos , on our doorposts that are to be put on our doorposts and remind us in whose house we really reside , HaShem's , for all things belong to HaShem . Our Sages say that if we follow these signs of wearing Tefillin , Tzitzis and putting Mezuzos on our doors , then all negative forces have no power over us , knowing that we must put our intentions fully into these Miztvos .
Moshe then Speaks of how all things come from HaShem , Who Is Giving us a land prepared for us with abundance , on a platter . The previous inhabitants hid their wealth in the walls of their houses and we , are being given all these things from HaShem . We are reminded to always remember that everything we get is from HaShem and to appreciate HaShem For all the good that we receive From Him in Eretz Yisroel . Again we are cautioned about idol worship . We are not to test HaShem as we did at Massah . We are to always observe HaShem's Commandments Always and teach our children HaShem's Mitzvos and how HaShem Took us out of Mitzrayim .
HaShem Warns us through Moshe that when we come to the Land of Canaan , we are not to let the nations that were there before , influence us in any way , but we are to destroy them and their idol worshiping ways ( HaShem Always Knows Best ) , and not in any way make a covenant with them or show them favour and not intermarry with them , for they will pull our children to idol worship , Chas Ve Shalom . We are to smash apart their pillars ( of idol worship ) , ashera trees and carved images of idols are to be burnt . Thus Israel is to be kept as a Holy Land , with not a single drop of anything that is is not Torah , so all forms of anything that isn't Jewish from the Torah , is not to be in the Land at all , for Israel is to be kept Holy to HaShem . The same goes for all time , through today and always , and this is HaShem's Land and only His Laws and Commandments are to be there and no false religions of idol worship in any way . HaShem's Command . For , according to HaShem and Moshe in this Parsha , we are a holy people to HaShem , treasured above all in Earth following HaShem's Commandments Always . So ends the Parsha .
This Parsha of Va'Eschanan as I said starts out with Moshe imploring HaShem To Let Moshe enter the land . One has to ask , if one wants something so deeply from HaShem , how many times does one ask for it . Well , Moshe asked and pleaded with HaShem in different ways to the number of 515 times . This is how many times Moshe kept asking HaShem to please enter the Land of Israel .
We can see this if we take the Hebrew word " Va'Eschanan " - " Implore " and take its Gematriah , which comes to 515 . This is how many times Moshe Implored HaShem to enter the Land . We learn from this also that one must never give up hope asking for saving , even to the point where an executioner's sword is almost on the back of our necks , Chas Ve Shalom . Though in Moshe's case , who so deeply wanted to enter the land so as to perform the Mitzvos that can only be performed in Eretz Yisroel , was still turned down and told No . HaShem Who Is The Most Compassionate of Compassion, Still Told Moshe No . What was HaShem's Answer to Moshe's Imploring ? It was , " It is too much for you Moshe ," so what did that mean and What Reasons Could HaShem Have Had For Not Letting Moshe Into the Land at that time .
In answer to the first question , Moshe had gone so far in level , almost to the point of out of the physical and his next step , had to be a spiritual one . He had reached trhe 49th gate of Wisdom and so , to do more physically , had become unnecessary , and more would have been too much , more than he needed , thus HaShem Told him , " Dear Moishele , rest now , you have done enough and don't need to do more , for more is too much for you , so my dear Moishele , time to come home to Me . "
It was also time for Yehoshuah to have his time as Leader and it would not be proper for Moshe to be led by anyone then . The fact of Moishe's concern that he wanted to fulfill the Mitzvos only done in Eretz Yisroel , HaShem Gave him credit for these , just by the Laws of them that Moshe taught of them , from HaShem , that our people would fulfill in the Land . Moshe would get credit that way too ( for a teacher gets credit for what his student does , that the teacher taught that student ) . Thus , there was nothing more that Moshe needed to do for himself at that time, to gain heights of spiritual level and thus more would have been ' too much ' for him .
For why HaShem Chose not to let Moshe into the Land , I have mentioned a few reasons already , but there is another , that is hidden in the Gematriah of the word " Va'Eschanan , " , for HaShem's Action even here in Saying No , was " Chanan " - " Merciful , " , where the word ' Chanan ' appears in the word " Va'Eschanan . " But was was this Act of Mercy ?
If we take the Gematriah of the word " Va'Eschanan ,' that comes to 515 , our Sages tell us that this number shows a Secret .
We know that Moshe passed on in the year 2488 of the Jewish Calendar . We know from deep texts , that the time of the End of Days final Date , is to be the year 6093 ( we round it off to 6000 but 6093 is the exact figure ) from Creation . This means that Moshe passed on 3605 years before the time that will come of the End of Days . We know that HaShem makes Holy the Sabbatical Year , which is every Seven years . If we take this number 3605 , that is the number of years from Moshe's passing , to the date of the End of Days , 3605 divided by the number of Sabbatical Years between these two dates ( in other words the number of Sabbatical Years from Moshe's passing to the End of Days ) 3605 divided by 7 equals 515 , the exact number of times Moshe Implored HaShem , thus what Moshe was actually doing in Imploring these 515 times , was actually covering us all with his prayers from the time he wasn't physically with us then , right up until the time comes to the End Of Days . Thus Moshe was praying for our Forgiveness and Redemption even from then , right up until the End of Days , so caring was Moshe . So beautiful and Merciful Is HaShem and so far beyond our capacity of wisdom , Is HaShem , for He Has a Reason in everything He Does , even though it may not look merciful at the time , HaShem is too far beyond us and our limited capacity of intelligence and wisdom . It is also interesting to note , that the Malachim Angels also apparently pray 515 prayers a day to HaShem , and Moshe was now entering into a Spiritual Realm close to Hashem . So much a deep secret hidden in the word " Va'Eschanan . " For within the word too , it is shown that from the time Moshe prayed and implored ( showing that we too can pray and ask for things for all prayers have a purpose beyond what we may know ) , from that time on , it will last till the time HaShem Brings the Ultimate Mercy of the End Of Days , for the word " Va'Eschanan " can be separated into the words " Va Et Chanan ," which means , " And to the time of Mercifulness ," which will be at the End Of Days . It will be then , that ( the word )' Chet ' - ' Sin ' ( which appears in the middle of the word " Va'Eschanan " ) , will be no more and we will all live in a time of total Mercifulness .
So much did Moshe do for us all , right up until the End of Days , to Implore for each one of us , constant Mercy from HaShem .
This really teaches us all that HaShem Is Totally Merciful in all things , and that there is so much that we really don't know and that at all times , we need to have Emunah in HaShem , For He Knows All and HaShem Knows What Is Needed for All of us and all of Creation .
We may sometimes think things are not as we like or want , but none of us really know at all what we truly need . What we want is not what we need and what we need is not always what we want . Things may not always go as we would like , but then again , we know so little , so who are we , so small , to judge . We really know very little . We may think that things are hard and a struggle , but HaShem Has A Very Good Reason for All That He Does and For All that we go through , and even though we have no idea of the why's, we can be sure that HaShem Has A Much Needed Reason , for our sakes , for all that happens and all that we go through . For in all our " Va'Eschanan , " - " Imploring , " in the midst of it all , is HaShem's " Chanan ," - " Mercifulness , " That He Knows Best How To Bring All of Creation , to its Beautiful Destination , of the End Of Days , for us all to return and to be in Gan Eiden with our Beautiful Creator HaKadosh Baruch Hu The Holy One Blessed Be He .
I wish HaShem With Total Love , A Very Beautiful Special And Sweet Shabbos Kodesh With Love , and to all my fellow Yidden and Creation , a Very Beautiful Special and Sweet Shabbos Kodesh with Love .
Friday, 9 August 2019
Parashas Devarim Tisha B' Av
Our Parsha this week is Parashas Devarim , the first Parsha of the last of the Five Books of the Torah . This Shabbos comes out on the 9th of Av Tisha B'Av and so , the Fast is deferred to Motzei Shabbos , the following day . The Haftorah is the Third of the Haftorahs that is read within the Three Weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av Tisha B' Av that deals with HaShem's Upset at our behaviour and how we did forsake Him and the Haftorah can be found in Yeshayahu Isaiah 1:1-27 This Shabbos before the Tisha B'Av Fast is called Shabbos Chazon . The Shabbos of Prophecy , Vision and Revelation , revealing deep meaning with respect to Moshiach's Time and The End of Days , for it is said , that on the day of Tisha B'Av , the day of our greatest Tragedy for us Jews , the Moshiach is born , not necessarily his physical birth , but the concept of the coming of Moshiach , where on this day of our greatest tragedy , this day will be turned into great rejoicing at the coming of Moshiach .
The Book of Devarim ( Deuteronomy ) is called by our Sages , the Mishneh Torah ( not the one the Rambam wrote ) , but in this case , it means ' Review or Repetition of the Torah , ' for the entire book of Devarim was a speech that Moshe gave to all the congregation , from the 1st of Shevat 2488 until the date of his passing on the 7th of Adar , so he spoke for 37- 38 days , repeating and reviewing the events since leaving Egypt and some of the Laws . Included in this Book of Devarim and his repetition, are over 70 new Laws and over 100 Laws all together . It is interesting to note that the year 2488 if one adds these numbers is 2+4+8+8=22 and 2+2=4. The Hebrew word Devarim comes to 4+2+200+10+40=256 and 2+5+6=13 and 1+3=4. So the word Devarim comes down to 4 as does the year that Moshe wrote Devarim , which shows that everything in Creation has its time and place and that HaShem IS In Control Of All Things .
Moshe starts out with a quiet rebuke of the people and speaks out of love . As Shlomo Hamelech pointed out , that if one loves , one rebukes for the good of them . Not to rebuke , so as not to improve others and try bring them closer to HaShem , is not to truly love them .
Moshe was chosen to Rebuke us while Bilaam was chosen to Bless us , for the ones on the receiving end , would more likely take a rebuke from one who speaks out of love and genuine concern for us and from one who can speak cleanly the rebukes he speaks for Moshe had a pure Neshoma who had not committed himself , any of the content of the rebukes he was giving and would thus not be taken hypocritically . Bilaam ,on the other hand , who was our greatest enemy at the time , who praised us , would show that if even he praised us ,even though he hated us , then we must be truly worthy of praise .
Moshe knew his time was coming , so he requested to leave us , with a last beloved message from him , before we enter the Holy Land , when we will be busy with physical pursuits , that we should remember HaShem Always and Moshe wanted to leave us with a strong rebuke of love so as to keep HaShem and His Laws forever within us .
HaShem Agreed and Moshe , out of Love for HaShem and for us , made his last action , one of selfless love for HaShem and our people .
Moshe reminds us first how we left Har Sinai and how we traveled and how Judges were appointed for us . Moshe explains how a Judge must be chosen with certain criteria , like they must be distinguished men , who are wise and have understanding , men of respected position within the Tribes . And so Leaders of Thousands , Leaders of Hundreds , Leaders of Fifties and Leaders of Tens , were chosen as well as Officers to enforce the Law .
Moshe then talks of the incident with the Spies and how they slandered the Land and how on that night , the people cried in their tents for nothing , not having faith in HaShem , that He Would Give us the Land without battle , so we cried for nothing , and so HaShem Ordained on that night that was the 9th of Av , that we cried for no reason , that through the ages , we would on this night thereafter till Moshiach comes , have a reason to cry . Instead of entering the land straight then and there , because of this incident , we had to be in the Wilderness for 40 years .
Moshe then refers to how we passed by Esav/Seir , Moav and Ammon , not making war with them , for the land they possessed then , was their portion . Moshe refers then to Sichon and Og and their nations and how we defeated them . Moshe refers to the incident of Reuvain and Gad and how they approached with their request to take their portion on the other side of the Jordan and so it was granted them and half the Tribe of Manasseh , as long as they stand with Israel in the conquest of the Land .
Moshe speaks of Yehoshuah and how he commanded Yehoshuah Joshua at the time of how Joshua saw what HaShem did to Sichon and Og , mighty giants , and how HaShem Will Do the same to all the foreign kings of Canaan , that Yehoshuah should not fear them , for HaShem Will Wage War For us .So ends the Parsha .
This Shabbos as I said is on the 9th of Av Tisha B' Av . We Fast the Motzei Shabbos .
As I mentioned , the start of this day was the crying for no reason after the evil report of the Spies , who , in Moshe's time went to spy out the land of Canaan , and so , for no reason that we Cried in our Tents , for lack of Emunah in HaShem , so was it ordained that from then on , on this day , till Moshiach comes , that we would have reason to mourn and cry through the centuries . The action of the spies caused a 40 year delay in entering the Holy Land of Israel .
The main calamities that this day represents , are the destruction of both our Temples , the First and Second Temple , the First one built by Shlomo Ha Melech , and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Bavel and this Temple continued to burn into the 10th of Av , the next day , and the Second Temple , built by Ezra and Nehemiah. , that was destroyed by the Romans . Also on this day , the Romans ( descendants of Esau Edom ) defeated the Bar Kochba Revolt and massacred the city of Betar and killed 580 000 Jews , leaving their bodies without burial and children were wrapped in Torah Scrolls and burnt and the Romans used our bodies as fences and our blood to cultivate their fields . Turnus Rufus , the Roman Leader flattened the site of our Temple in Yerushalaim and the areas around the Holy site .
Many other calamities hit our people through the ages on this day :-
The First Crusade started around this time , killing and murdering thousands of Jews through France and what is now Germany . The same killing took place in later Crusades near this time .
527 years ago ,in Spain , the Jews were expelled , by a proclamation signed by queen isabella of spain , forcing Jews who had lived there for centuries , to leave the country in mass, after years of terrible tortures and forced conversions and quemaderas burnings at the stake under the evil actions of the Spanish Government and church , Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and The Grand Inquisitor Thomas de Torquemada .
Just over 800 years ago at this time , Jews were expelled from France and just before that from England .
It was also on the 9th of Av , that the Final Solution was approved in Germany in the Holocaust , where Millions of our people were gassed or stripped and shot into pits they had to dig themselves and many others killed while the pope and other countries that knew what was going on at the time , turned a blind eye and didn't care .
It was also on this day , that World War One started .
It was also on and around this day , that Bogdan Chmielnitsky , a Ukrainian , massacred the Jews of the Ukraine and Poland in the Thousands , with violent horror .
It was on this day that the Warsaw Ghetto had a mass deportation of Jews to the death camp of Treblinka 77 years ago . It was also on this date that a Jewish Community centre was bombed in Buenos Aires that tragically saw the deaths of over 85 Jews and injured many hundreds , just 25 years ago . Also on this date , 8000 Jews were expelled from Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip , when Israel left Gaza , just 14 years ago .
Such a sad and painful day for us Jews , how can we not mourn and cry .
If only all our people would follow HaShem and His Laws and listen very carefully to Moshe's Words in Devarim .
Our Rabbis say that if every Jew would just keep two Sabbaths in a row , Mashiach would come . Thus the answer to ending these tragic times and this tragic day and turning the 9th of Av into a day of Rejoicing , is the Devarim of Torah - The Words of Torah . Our greatest enemy Amalek , that descended from Eisav , seeks through time to destroy us , as do many others . Our Torah Teaches that while we learn Torah and the Devarim Words of Torah , Amalek is silenced . So the way to overcome our enemies is for Jews as a whole to learn and follow Torah and not go to secular and un Jewish ways and beliefs .
Even though Moshe Spoke these words in Devarim , we know that they came from HaShem , for the word Devarim starts with a Hebrew Letter ' Hei ' which is the second and fourth letter of the Tetragrammaton , of HaShem's Name 'Yud Kei Vav Kei ,' so the word " HaDevarim , " is deeply rendered as HaShem Spoke The Words . Putting that together with the other words around it in the first verse of this Sedra , it is " Eileh HaDevarim Asher Diber Moshe el kol Yisrael ," ( "These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel " ) - which can be deeply now shown to deeply say ' These Are The Words of HaShem That Moshe Spoke to all of Israel , ' for the word Devarim has within it the word 'Daber ' which means ' Speak ,' and thus in this verse the word " Speak " would then appear twice , once for HaShem at first and the next " Daber " for Moshe speaking . Moshe never spoke words to us in Torah that were only his own . They were always From HaShem and so are we never to deviate from HaShem in any way Chas Ve Shalom , but are to only keep HaShem's Devarim Words and Commandments , the greatest power over our enemies .
Also by a Gazeirah Shava , a term we often use in the study of Torah and Gemorrah , where a word in Torah in a certain context has the same meaning or subject , if that same word appears elsewhere in Torah , shows that seeing there are other places where the word " Devarim " or " Daber " or "Divrei ," appears in connection with HaShem Speaking or HaShem Speaking His Words ( like in Devarim 4:12 ; Shemos [ Exodus ] 20:1 and Devarim 28:69 ) , so too here , in looking deeply , here too , it can be taken that HaShem Spoke Originally and Moshe was giving over HaShem's Devarim Words on HaShem's Deeper Level , out of Love .
Each Jew is responsible to his fellow Jew . One Jewish person cannot say while on a boat with other Jews that he has the right to cut a whole in the boat under his own seat that it won't affect others , for it will , as water will come into that boat and try drown all its occupents . The same goes for Jews in the real World , for each of us are responsible one for and to another . One Jew cannot decide they will turn away from HaShem's Commandments of not keeping HaShem's Mitzvos and Shabbos Chas Ve Shalom and turns around and says , it won't affect other Jews and its their own affair , because we are each responsible one for another under our Creator , to listen to Him and when one Jew disobeys and doesn't keep the Commandments as HaShem Wants them to , that Jew allows negativity to creep in and that can affect the safety and life of another Jew far away , even on the other end of the World , for we are all one collective people , all part of the Whole , that stood at Mount Sinai and accepted HaShem's Commandments that we will do and we will listen . We are each responsible one to the other under HaShem . As the first verse of this Sedra says , " El Kol Yisrael , " - " To All Yisrael ," to all our people Is HaShem Speaking Through Moshe . Not just to a select few , but to us all as a Nation , past present and future . Our very survival as a Nation depends on it , on us all as one , following HaShem's Commandments , as HaShem Wants . It is His World . He Freed us from Egypt to be His People , and thus we owe Him our very survival . For had it not been for HaShem Freeing us , we would all be dead and non existent . Thus our lives forever , are HaShem's and we have no right to do with our lives as we choose , in going away from HaShem's Commandments . HaShem Saved us and thus , we owe Him our all , the way HaShem Wants us to be as He Teaches us in His Torah and With His Devarim Words to us .
As even Rabbi Manis Freedman says , even a Tree knows it is a tree to fulfill What HaShem Wants it to fulfill , as being a Tree , without argument or disobeying of the Creator . So should we , who have Seichel and Free Choice and high intelligence also and all the more so , must we fulfill our purpose for being Created with HaShem's Devarim , and that is , that we were Created to Fulfill The Will of Our Creator as a Creation Of HaShem The Creator , to be Servants of Love to HaShem's Will to fulfill our Created Purpose , as Followers of HaShem's Torah , to fulfill this purpose every instant we breath . HaShem , out of Greater Love , to allow us to earn more Reward and Kavod , gave us the opportunity to choose His Will , even though that is why we are all here , in His Creation to fulfill our purpose in that Creation , of being followers of HaShem .
But the words dont start with us . They start with HaShem's " Devarim ," which is the only way to travel to the End of Days . There is no other way . So when HaShem Speaks " Words " " Devarim " to you , take heed and listen , For By A Pure Act Of HaShem's Love and Devarim Words , do we live , and so must we , in every instant and instance , fulfill our purpose within Creation , by being a Holy and Righteous Jew , Created to follow HaShem's Torah and Words " Devarim , " with Love .
With Deep Love to HaShem , I wish HaShem With Love , A Most Beautiful And Sweet Shabbos Kodesh With Love Always and to all my fellow Yidden , my fellow Jews , a Most Beautiful and Sweet and Holy Shabbos Kodesh with love and a Meaningful Fast , and may our Physical Galus end soon in our days .
The Book of Devarim ( Deuteronomy ) is called by our Sages , the Mishneh Torah ( not the one the Rambam wrote ) , but in this case , it means ' Review or Repetition of the Torah , ' for the entire book of Devarim was a speech that Moshe gave to all the congregation , from the 1st of Shevat 2488 until the date of his passing on the 7th of Adar , so he spoke for 37- 38 days , repeating and reviewing the events since leaving Egypt and some of the Laws . Included in this Book of Devarim and his repetition, are over 70 new Laws and over 100 Laws all together . It is interesting to note that the year 2488 if one adds these numbers is 2+4+8+8=22 and 2+2=4. The Hebrew word Devarim comes to 4+2+200+10+40=256 and 2+5+6=13 and 1+3=4. So the word Devarim comes down to 4 as does the year that Moshe wrote Devarim , which shows that everything in Creation has its time and place and that HaShem IS In Control Of All Things .
Moshe starts out with a quiet rebuke of the people and speaks out of love . As Shlomo Hamelech pointed out , that if one loves , one rebukes for the good of them . Not to rebuke , so as not to improve others and try bring them closer to HaShem , is not to truly love them .
Moshe was chosen to Rebuke us while Bilaam was chosen to Bless us , for the ones on the receiving end , would more likely take a rebuke from one who speaks out of love and genuine concern for us and from one who can speak cleanly the rebukes he speaks for Moshe had a pure Neshoma who had not committed himself , any of the content of the rebukes he was giving and would thus not be taken hypocritically . Bilaam ,on the other hand , who was our greatest enemy at the time , who praised us , would show that if even he praised us ,even though he hated us , then we must be truly worthy of praise .
Moshe knew his time was coming , so he requested to leave us , with a last beloved message from him , before we enter the Holy Land , when we will be busy with physical pursuits , that we should remember HaShem Always and Moshe wanted to leave us with a strong rebuke of love so as to keep HaShem and His Laws forever within us .
HaShem Agreed and Moshe , out of Love for HaShem and for us , made his last action , one of selfless love for HaShem and our people .
Moshe reminds us first how we left Har Sinai and how we traveled and how Judges were appointed for us . Moshe explains how a Judge must be chosen with certain criteria , like they must be distinguished men , who are wise and have understanding , men of respected position within the Tribes . And so Leaders of Thousands , Leaders of Hundreds , Leaders of Fifties and Leaders of Tens , were chosen as well as Officers to enforce the Law .
Moshe then talks of the incident with the Spies and how they slandered the Land and how on that night , the people cried in their tents for nothing , not having faith in HaShem , that He Would Give us the Land without battle , so we cried for nothing , and so HaShem Ordained on that night that was the 9th of Av , that we cried for no reason , that through the ages , we would on this night thereafter till Moshiach comes , have a reason to cry . Instead of entering the land straight then and there , because of this incident , we had to be in the Wilderness for 40 years .
Moshe then refers to how we passed by Esav/Seir , Moav and Ammon , not making war with them , for the land they possessed then , was their portion . Moshe refers then to Sichon and Og and their nations and how we defeated them . Moshe refers to the incident of Reuvain and Gad and how they approached with their request to take their portion on the other side of the Jordan and so it was granted them and half the Tribe of Manasseh , as long as they stand with Israel in the conquest of the Land .
Moshe speaks of Yehoshuah and how he commanded Yehoshuah Joshua at the time of how Joshua saw what HaShem did to Sichon and Og , mighty giants , and how HaShem Will Do the same to all the foreign kings of Canaan , that Yehoshuah should not fear them , for HaShem Will Wage War For us .So ends the Parsha .
This Shabbos as I said is on the 9th of Av Tisha B' Av . We Fast the Motzei Shabbos .
As I mentioned , the start of this day was the crying for no reason after the evil report of the Spies , who , in Moshe's time went to spy out the land of Canaan , and so , for no reason that we Cried in our Tents , for lack of Emunah in HaShem , so was it ordained that from then on , on this day , till Moshiach comes , that we would have reason to mourn and cry through the centuries . The action of the spies caused a 40 year delay in entering the Holy Land of Israel .
The main calamities that this day represents , are the destruction of both our Temples , the First and Second Temple , the First one built by Shlomo Ha Melech , and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Bavel and this Temple continued to burn into the 10th of Av , the next day , and the Second Temple , built by Ezra and Nehemiah. , that was destroyed by the Romans . Also on this day , the Romans ( descendants of Esau Edom ) defeated the Bar Kochba Revolt and massacred the city of Betar and killed 580 000 Jews , leaving their bodies without burial and children were wrapped in Torah Scrolls and burnt and the Romans used our bodies as fences and our blood to cultivate their fields . Turnus Rufus , the Roman Leader flattened the site of our Temple in Yerushalaim and the areas around the Holy site .
Many other calamities hit our people through the ages on this day :-
The First Crusade started around this time , killing and murdering thousands of Jews through France and what is now Germany . The same killing took place in later Crusades near this time .
527 years ago ,in Spain , the Jews were expelled , by a proclamation signed by queen isabella of spain , forcing Jews who had lived there for centuries , to leave the country in mass, after years of terrible tortures and forced conversions and quemaderas burnings at the stake under the evil actions of the Spanish Government and church , Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and The Grand Inquisitor Thomas de Torquemada .
Just over 800 years ago at this time , Jews were expelled from France and just before that from England .
It was also on the 9th of Av , that the Final Solution was approved in Germany in the Holocaust , where Millions of our people were gassed or stripped and shot into pits they had to dig themselves and many others killed while the pope and other countries that knew what was going on at the time , turned a blind eye and didn't care .
It was also on this day , that World War One started .
It was also on and around this day , that Bogdan Chmielnitsky , a Ukrainian , massacred the Jews of the Ukraine and Poland in the Thousands , with violent horror .
It was on this day that the Warsaw Ghetto had a mass deportation of Jews to the death camp of Treblinka 77 years ago . It was also on this date that a Jewish Community centre was bombed in Buenos Aires that tragically saw the deaths of over 85 Jews and injured many hundreds , just 25 years ago . Also on this date , 8000 Jews were expelled from Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip , when Israel left Gaza , just 14 years ago .
Such a sad and painful day for us Jews , how can we not mourn and cry .
If only all our people would follow HaShem and His Laws and listen very carefully to Moshe's Words in Devarim .
Our Rabbis say that if every Jew would just keep two Sabbaths in a row , Mashiach would come . Thus the answer to ending these tragic times and this tragic day and turning the 9th of Av into a day of Rejoicing , is the Devarim of Torah - The Words of Torah . Our greatest enemy Amalek , that descended from Eisav , seeks through time to destroy us , as do many others . Our Torah Teaches that while we learn Torah and the Devarim Words of Torah , Amalek is silenced . So the way to overcome our enemies is for Jews as a whole to learn and follow Torah and not go to secular and un Jewish ways and beliefs .
Even though Moshe Spoke these words in Devarim , we know that they came from HaShem , for the word Devarim starts with a Hebrew Letter ' Hei ' which is the second and fourth letter of the Tetragrammaton , of HaShem's Name 'Yud Kei Vav Kei ,' so the word " HaDevarim , " is deeply rendered as HaShem Spoke The Words . Putting that together with the other words around it in the first verse of this Sedra , it is " Eileh HaDevarim Asher Diber Moshe el kol Yisrael ," ( "These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel " ) - which can be deeply now shown to deeply say ' These Are The Words of HaShem That Moshe Spoke to all of Israel , ' for the word Devarim has within it the word 'Daber ' which means ' Speak ,' and thus in this verse the word " Speak " would then appear twice , once for HaShem at first and the next " Daber " for Moshe speaking . Moshe never spoke words to us in Torah that were only his own . They were always From HaShem and so are we never to deviate from HaShem in any way Chas Ve Shalom , but are to only keep HaShem's Devarim Words and Commandments , the greatest power over our enemies .
Also by a Gazeirah Shava , a term we often use in the study of Torah and Gemorrah , where a word in Torah in a certain context has the same meaning or subject , if that same word appears elsewhere in Torah , shows that seeing there are other places where the word " Devarim " or " Daber " or "Divrei ," appears in connection with HaShem Speaking or HaShem Speaking His Words ( like in Devarim 4:12 ; Shemos [ Exodus ] 20:1 and Devarim 28:69 ) , so too here , in looking deeply , here too , it can be taken that HaShem Spoke Originally and Moshe was giving over HaShem's Devarim Words on HaShem's Deeper Level , out of Love .
Each Jew is responsible to his fellow Jew . One Jewish person cannot say while on a boat with other Jews that he has the right to cut a whole in the boat under his own seat that it won't affect others , for it will , as water will come into that boat and try drown all its occupents . The same goes for Jews in the real World , for each of us are responsible one for and to another . One Jew cannot decide they will turn away from HaShem's Commandments of not keeping HaShem's Mitzvos and Shabbos Chas Ve Shalom and turns around and says , it won't affect other Jews and its their own affair , because we are each responsible one for another under our Creator , to listen to Him and when one Jew disobeys and doesn't keep the Commandments as HaShem Wants them to , that Jew allows negativity to creep in and that can affect the safety and life of another Jew far away , even on the other end of the World , for we are all one collective people , all part of the Whole , that stood at Mount Sinai and accepted HaShem's Commandments that we will do and we will listen . We are each responsible one to the other under HaShem . As the first verse of this Sedra says , " El Kol Yisrael , " - " To All Yisrael ," to all our people Is HaShem Speaking Through Moshe . Not just to a select few , but to us all as a Nation , past present and future . Our very survival as a Nation depends on it , on us all as one , following HaShem's Commandments , as HaShem Wants . It is His World . He Freed us from Egypt to be His People , and thus we owe Him our very survival . For had it not been for HaShem Freeing us , we would all be dead and non existent . Thus our lives forever , are HaShem's and we have no right to do with our lives as we choose , in going away from HaShem's Commandments . HaShem Saved us and thus , we owe Him our all , the way HaShem Wants us to be as He Teaches us in His Torah and With His Devarim Words to us .
As even Rabbi Manis Freedman says , even a Tree knows it is a tree to fulfill What HaShem Wants it to fulfill , as being a Tree , without argument or disobeying of the Creator . So should we , who have Seichel and Free Choice and high intelligence also and all the more so , must we fulfill our purpose for being Created with HaShem's Devarim , and that is , that we were Created to Fulfill The Will of Our Creator as a Creation Of HaShem The Creator , to be Servants of Love to HaShem's Will to fulfill our Created Purpose , as Followers of HaShem's Torah , to fulfill this purpose every instant we breath . HaShem , out of Greater Love , to allow us to earn more Reward and Kavod , gave us the opportunity to choose His Will , even though that is why we are all here , in His Creation to fulfill our purpose in that Creation , of being followers of HaShem .
But the words dont start with us . They start with HaShem's " Devarim ," which is the only way to travel to the End of Days . There is no other way . So when HaShem Speaks " Words " " Devarim " to you , take heed and listen , For By A Pure Act Of HaShem's Love and Devarim Words , do we live , and so must we , in every instant and instance , fulfill our purpose within Creation , by being a Holy and Righteous Jew , Created to follow HaShem's Torah and Words " Devarim , " with Love .
With Deep Love to HaShem , I wish HaShem With Love , A Most Beautiful And Sweet Shabbos Kodesh With Love Always and to all my fellow Yidden , my fellow Jews , a Most Beautiful and Sweet and Holy Shabbos Kodesh with love and a Meaningful Fast , and may our Physical Galus end soon in our days .
Friday, 2 August 2019
Parashas Mattos - Masei
Our Parsha this week just after Rosh Chodesh Av is a double portion of Mattos-Masei which ends the fourth Book of the Torah Bamidbar .
In the last Parsha we discussed the offerings brought for the Yomim Tovim and mentioned there , was the free-will offerings and or offerings fulfilling vows , so , as one reason , in the following Parsha of Mattos, HaShem Gives the Laws of Vows .
HaShem Commands Moshe to Speak to the heads of the " Mattos " - " Tribes , " teaching them of the Laws of Vows and Oaths . The difference between a Vow and an Oath , according to our Rabbonim , is that an " Oath " - " Sh'vuah " is binding upon a person , where the person binds himself to do or not do something , whereas a " Vow " - " Neder " is taken out on an object , binding the relationship that one will have with that object , either forbidding partaking of that object , or placing a condition on an object in relation to oneself .
The idea of Vows and Oaths gives us a feeling of How HaShem Feels , In Placing a Law upon us , as when making a Vow or Oath , we are actually putting ourselves in the position like HaShem , to make a Law binding upon ourselves and the punishment for violating , is 40 Lashes , not a drop more or less . One of the reasons this Commandment was given to the Leaders of the " Mattos " - " Tribes , " was that a Leader of the Tribe or court of three laymen can annul a vow or oath .
Then HaShem Discusses a woman taking a vow and depending on her age and status , her Father or Husband can annul it on the day of their hearing . HaShem Would Prefer us not to take Vows or Oaths and deprive ourselves of that which HaShem has Blessed us to Enjoy and so , to take a Vow or Oath , is not to HaShem's Liking . So Females have an opportunity here then if their Fathers or Husbands do annul it , that males don't get , to remove a prohibition one puts on oneself .
Gemorrah Nedarim 65a tells the story of how one day our king Tzidkiyahu caught Nevuchadnezzar , king of Bavel , eating a live rabbit , a breaking of one of the seven Noachide Laws for the gentiles , and Nevuchadnezzar had Tzidkiyahu make an oath not to tell. Later on , Tzidkiyahu became ill , from wanting to tell what he had seen and wanted his oath absolved by the Judges of the Sanhedrin , which he did and then publicly told what he had seen . When Nebuchadnezzar heard he was being spoken of , he summoned Tzidkiyahu and the Sanhedrin and questioned them if an Oath can be absolved and if the person who made the Oath must appear before them and they said in the affirmative , so he knew Tzidkiyahu had told and that the Sanhedrin had absolved the Oath , so he punished them by having their hair tied to horses and pulled as the horses rode . This shows , that HaShem Does Not Like us to make Vows and Promises and Oaths , binding ourselves , for only HaShem Makes Laws that we are to live by . Though some do it , for good reasons in order to try make themselves holier , by abstaining from things , like the Nazarite Vow abstains from Wine or Grapes , though even then , they need to bring a korban as such to atone .
HaShem Then Instructs Moshe to take vengeance on the Midyanim for their immoral actions against us ,of getting their women to entice our men to serve baal peor the idol . Moshe was asked to pick a 1000 from each tribe and thus 12000 went to war against Midyan , not counting the 12 000 who stood on the side and separate from them the number of Levites that stood and prayed . Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon , was chosen to lead the battle and along with him , he took the Tzitz , the Head plate with the Words " Holy to HaShem . " It was at that time , that Bilaam had returned to the Midyanim out of greed , for money he claimed owing and thus , got caught up and ended up facing Pinchas . Our Midrash tells us how Bilaam was able to lift in the air , and lift the five kings of Midyan and when Pinchas displayed the Head Plate , it caused Bilaam to fall . Pinchas slew him with Bilaam's own sword , after Bilaam pleaded for his life , and Pinchas reminded Bilaam of all the evil he did to the Jewish people ( according to the Zohar ) . All five kings including Tzur - Balak of Midyan died in the battle . After the battle , the booty was brought and the women captives and animals . Moshe was angry that the women of Midyan that had caused the men before to sin , were brought . Moshe instructed that those old enough to know a man were to be killed and the younger ones were allowed to live . To know which , HaShem allowed him to see those that had been with a man , take on a green tinge .
The vessels that had come into contact with the slain , needed Kashering and so , Elazar the Kohein instructed on the methods of Kashering . The Spoils were then divided . Moshe was totally amazing , for he knew that after the battle of Midyan , his time would come , so he could have delayed the battle to delay his time , but Moshe was totally faithful to HaShem's Will and thus put his own needs aside , and saw to it that the battle took place straight away . Moshe never took part in it , for HaShem Had him sit out from this battle as the Midyanim had once given him a place to stay .
It was then that Reuvein and Gad , who had become quite wealthy from the battle and so had bought lots of cattle , made a request to Moshe to remain on the Eastern side of the Jordan and not to take their allotted portions in Eretz Yisroel .
Moshe was understandably concerned , remembering the incident of the Meraglim Spies , but they assured Moshe that they would build pens for their flock and livestock and cities for their children and would then join in with the vanguard of Israel , fighting side by side with their fellow Jewish Tribes and only then would they return to their families , after Israel was gotten for our people by Hashem . Moshe objected that in their sentence , they put their livestock before their children , but permitted them to fulfill their request as long as they fought side by side with their fellow Jews against the inhabitants of Canaan . Half the Tribe of Manasseh also joined them . Parashas Masei then begins where the word " Masei , " - " Journeys , " enumerates the journeys of the Children of Israel from Mitzrayim to Israel , place by place , all 42 stations along the way . What is the reason why HaShem Enumerated all the places they went through ? This can best be answered by an example , of a Father who dearly loves his son and they travel together from one place to another , stopping off at various places along the way where they have various memories . When they get to their intended destination , the Father writes down each place along the way and what happened in the places , so as to remember the trip they took together , thus showing the love the Father feels for his son . HaShem , For a Similar Reason , as one reason , Did The Same , for we are very special to HaShem . And so was the time and trips we spent with HaShem .
HaShem Then Enumerates the borders and boundaries of The Land of Israel for us . Also , HaShem Enumerates the Leaders of the Tribes and the division of the Land . Also , the cities to be given to the Levites are also Spoken of . Six Cities as " Cities of Refuge " - " Ir Miklat " are also designated as Cities of Refuge , for an unintentional Murderer to flee and be safe from the " Go'el HaDam , " - " The Redeemer of the Blood , " a relative of the one murdered , who may seek to kill the murderer . The one who murdered unintentionally , must then stay in the City of Refuge , where the relative cannot hurt him , in a city of holy Levites , thus ,unlike the secular World , where such a person would be put in jail with undesirables , here , in Jewish Law , he of she is put in an atmosphere of holiness among holy Levites , so they can better themselves spiritually and thus correct any spiritual impurities within them that brought them to the action of even an unintentional murder . Obviously if they leave the City of Refuge , then the Redeemer of the Blood , can kill them . The Unintentional Murderer has to stay there till the death of the Kohein Gadol and only then can they leave . If they were learning Studies from a Rabbi , then the Rabbi too must go into the City of Refuge with the person , for the Rabbi should have been enough of a Spiritual influence on the person , that they should not have been lacking the spiritual holiness , for such an event to have never come to them committing it . The Term ends with the death of the Kohein Gadol , for the demise of a Holy person, can work toward the atonement of that generation and also , the representative of the generation - The Kohein Gadol , should be Holy enough so as to keep his generation pure enough that such things should not be able to happen . The idea of the " Goel Ha Dam , " is deeper than it sounds , for the true Redeemer of the Blood should be the person whose blood spilled on the ground that the Earth swallows up and has to cover , which it does not want to do until that person is avenged of the person who committed it . Intentional Murder , must be judged with total strictness , to remove the evil from existence and thus , such a person must be sentenced to death , even to the case where such a perpetrator holds onto the horns of the Altar , as did Yoav , whom Shlomo Ha Melech was told by his Father David to sentence to death , for the purposeful slaying of two holy men of David's army . Shlomo instructed his faithful delegate Benayahu to kill Yoav where he stands . We are to root out the evil from the World .
Chazal says that the blood swallowed up by the ground doesn't rest till the slain is avenged . We see this as an example , when King Achav / Achaz and Izevel ( Jezebel ) had false witnesses set up so as to have a neighbor Navos slain , because he wanted Navos' vineyard that the time came that Achav wanted to go to war with Aram . Achav had 400 prophets who advised him wrong , to go to battle against Aram , but one true prophet Micaiah ben Imlah warned him not to . He didn't listen and went dressed in disguise as an ordinary soldier , thinking he could fool the enemy , who would naturally go for the king , but Achav/Ahaz got shot with an arrow and , being the only one to die in the battle , fought till the end and died . Up in the Heavenly Court , HaShem Asked if anyone would stand in that Achav should die , and the soul of Navos , that Achav had killed stood in and said ' let him die , ' and so , Ahav/Achaz died . Izevel too was punished , for she too met with a grizzly fate , and her body was torn to pieces and eaten by dogs , on the very field , she had helped steal from Navos , whom she helped kill . Thus , a murdered person's blood cries from the ground .
The question of Tribal Marriage comes up , where Tzelafchad's daughters are instructed to marry within their own Tribe , and so was the Law , so that Tribal Territory remains within the Tribe it is allotted to and so ends the Parsha . The Haftorah for this Shabbos , is Yirmeyahu 2:4-28;3:4;4;1-2 and continues The Upset HaShem Feels at us , at this time , between the three weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av Tisha B'Av , that we are in right now .
We note through these Sedras , a general idea of leadership responsibility , where the ones in charge have a responsibility for those they lead and thus serve . Note how I put that a leader serves . Usually in the secular World , people would serve their leader , but HaShem in Yiddishkeit Teaches the proper way , where a Leader in Judaism , is to serve those he looks after , for they are his responsibility and he is to work toward ensuring that they remain holy and pure , and thus he is to lead by example , for he must be holy and pure himself , which is the best teacher and example , for all counts on how he lives and portrays himself . As the saying goes , ' teach by example . '
HaShem Puts people in high positions to Give them an opportunity for them to bring goodness and holiness to their community . A leader needs to remember that it Is HaShem Who Put them in a Leadership Position. They would never have gotten there on their own . HaShem Only , Sets them there . So many Leaders today , think they got there via their own need to climb to higher positions . But they need to realize that HaShem Only , Is In Charge , and that He Is Giving them a Test to work for Him and the people , and not work only for themselves as a leader , for it is HaShem Who Makes all things and puts people in a position to lead and Gives them the opportunity to do Good . A Leader , is in a very special position , chosen by HaShem , to represent Right and Honest and Just Ways and never to take advatage of his position in only furthering his own selfish ends . A Leader is to Lead by holy and righteous example . Dovid Ha Melech , would always carry with him a Torah and he , at all times , remembered Whom he was serving , Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu , The Holy One Blessed Be He .
The Task of a Jewish Leader , is to be a Teacher , Keeper of , and Promoter to his people , of HaShem's Torah . The best example is the one we set ourselves . We may not all be Leaders , but as Hillel said in Pirkei Avos , ' In a place where there are no Leaders , Strive to be a Leader . ' In other words , the World around each one of us that we are in the midst of , as our own personal World , is our place to lead , not as a boss , but as a World to serve and wherever we " Masei " - " Journey , " we are to bring the Light of HaShem there . The World Is Created for each one of us , and we are to teach all around us by example , to be Holy and Pure and Righteous and Good and Moral and Kind , to thus Emulate the Sweet Beautiful Ways Of HaShem , to all around us and so , be a ' Leader ' by ' Serving ,' and bringing to Holiness and Light , all around us , to HaShem .
The World around each one of us , is like a " Bamidbar " - " A Wilderness , " that we as HaShem's ' Malachim ' - ' Angels ' are to make alive , by bringing HaShem's Light into every corner of it , and so make the World in the midst of which , each one of us live , into a Garden of Eden .
I wish HaShem with all my love , A Very Sweet Special And Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh And Chodesh Tov with Forever Love , and to all my fellow Yidden , a Very Sweet Special and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chodesh Tov with love .
In the last Parsha we discussed the offerings brought for the Yomim Tovim and mentioned there , was the free-will offerings and or offerings fulfilling vows , so , as one reason , in the following Parsha of Mattos, HaShem Gives the Laws of Vows .
HaShem Commands Moshe to Speak to the heads of the " Mattos " - " Tribes , " teaching them of the Laws of Vows and Oaths . The difference between a Vow and an Oath , according to our Rabbonim , is that an " Oath " - " Sh'vuah " is binding upon a person , where the person binds himself to do or not do something , whereas a " Vow " - " Neder " is taken out on an object , binding the relationship that one will have with that object , either forbidding partaking of that object , or placing a condition on an object in relation to oneself .
The idea of Vows and Oaths gives us a feeling of How HaShem Feels , In Placing a Law upon us , as when making a Vow or Oath , we are actually putting ourselves in the position like HaShem , to make a Law binding upon ourselves and the punishment for violating , is 40 Lashes , not a drop more or less . One of the reasons this Commandment was given to the Leaders of the " Mattos " - " Tribes , " was that a Leader of the Tribe or court of three laymen can annul a vow or oath .
Then HaShem Discusses a woman taking a vow and depending on her age and status , her Father or Husband can annul it on the day of their hearing . HaShem Would Prefer us not to take Vows or Oaths and deprive ourselves of that which HaShem has Blessed us to Enjoy and so , to take a Vow or Oath , is not to HaShem's Liking . So Females have an opportunity here then if their Fathers or Husbands do annul it , that males don't get , to remove a prohibition one puts on oneself .
Gemorrah Nedarim 65a tells the story of how one day our king Tzidkiyahu caught Nevuchadnezzar , king of Bavel , eating a live rabbit , a breaking of one of the seven Noachide Laws for the gentiles , and Nevuchadnezzar had Tzidkiyahu make an oath not to tell. Later on , Tzidkiyahu became ill , from wanting to tell what he had seen and wanted his oath absolved by the Judges of the Sanhedrin , which he did and then publicly told what he had seen . When Nebuchadnezzar heard he was being spoken of , he summoned Tzidkiyahu and the Sanhedrin and questioned them if an Oath can be absolved and if the person who made the Oath must appear before them and they said in the affirmative , so he knew Tzidkiyahu had told and that the Sanhedrin had absolved the Oath , so he punished them by having their hair tied to horses and pulled as the horses rode . This shows , that HaShem Does Not Like us to make Vows and Promises and Oaths , binding ourselves , for only HaShem Makes Laws that we are to live by . Though some do it , for good reasons in order to try make themselves holier , by abstaining from things , like the Nazarite Vow abstains from Wine or Grapes , though even then , they need to bring a korban as such to atone .
HaShem Then Instructs Moshe to take vengeance on the Midyanim for their immoral actions against us ,of getting their women to entice our men to serve baal peor the idol . Moshe was asked to pick a 1000 from each tribe and thus 12000 went to war against Midyan , not counting the 12 000 who stood on the side and separate from them the number of Levites that stood and prayed . Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon , was chosen to lead the battle and along with him , he took the Tzitz , the Head plate with the Words " Holy to HaShem . " It was at that time , that Bilaam had returned to the Midyanim out of greed , for money he claimed owing and thus , got caught up and ended up facing Pinchas . Our Midrash tells us how Bilaam was able to lift in the air , and lift the five kings of Midyan and when Pinchas displayed the Head Plate , it caused Bilaam to fall . Pinchas slew him with Bilaam's own sword , after Bilaam pleaded for his life , and Pinchas reminded Bilaam of all the evil he did to the Jewish people ( according to the Zohar ) . All five kings including Tzur - Balak of Midyan died in the battle . After the battle , the booty was brought and the women captives and animals . Moshe was angry that the women of Midyan that had caused the men before to sin , were brought . Moshe instructed that those old enough to know a man were to be killed and the younger ones were allowed to live . To know which , HaShem allowed him to see those that had been with a man , take on a green tinge .
The vessels that had come into contact with the slain , needed Kashering and so , Elazar the Kohein instructed on the methods of Kashering . The Spoils were then divided . Moshe was totally amazing , for he knew that after the battle of Midyan , his time would come , so he could have delayed the battle to delay his time , but Moshe was totally faithful to HaShem's Will and thus put his own needs aside , and saw to it that the battle took place straight away . Moshe never took part in it , for HaShem Had him sit out from this battle as the Midyanim had once given him a place to stay .
It was then that Reuvein and Gad , who had become quite wealthy from the battle and so had bought lots of cattle , made a request to Moshe to remain on the Eastern side of the Jordan and not to take their allotted portions in Eretz Yisroel .
Moshe was understandably concerned , remembering the incident of the Meraglim Spies , but they assured Moshe that they would build pens for their flock and livestock and cities for their children and would then join in with the vanguard of Israel , fighting side by side with their fellow Jewish Tribes and only then would they return to their families , after Israel was gotten for our people by Hashem . Moshe objected that in their sentence , they put their livestock before their children , but permitted them to fulfill their request as long as they fought side by side with their fellow Jews against the inhabitants of Canaan . Half the Tribe of Manasseh also joined them . Parashas Masei then begins where the word " Masei , " - " Journeys , " enumerates the journeys of the Children of Israel from Mitzrayim to Israel , place by place , all 42 stations along the way . What is the reason why HaShem Enumerated all the places they went through ? This can best be answered by an example , of a Father who dearly loves his son and they travel together from one place to another , stopping off at various places along the way where they have various memories . When they get to their intended destination , the Father writes down each place along the way and what happened in the places , so as to remember the trip they took together , thus showing the love the Father feels for his son . HaShem , For a Similar Reason , as one reason , Did The Same , for we are very special to HaShem . And so was the time and trips we spent with HaShem .
HaShem Then Enumerates the borders and boundaries of The Land of Israel for us . Also , HaShem Enumerates the Leaders of the Tribes and the division of the Land . Also , the cities to be given to the Levites are also Spoken of . Six Cities as " Cities of Refuge " - " Ir Miklat " are also designated as Cities of Refuge , for an unintentional Murderer to flee and be safe from the " Go'el HaDam , " - " The Redeemer of the Blood , " a relative of the one murdered , who may seek to kill the murderer . The one who murdered unintentionally , must then stay in the City of Refuge , where the relative cannot hurt him , in a city of holy Levites , thus ,unlike the secular World , where such a person would be put in jail with undesirables , here , in Jewish Law , he of she is put in an atmosphere of holiness among holy Levites , so they can better themselves spiritually and thus correct any spiritual impurities within them that brought them to the action of even an unintentional murder . Obviously if they leave the City of Refuge , then the Redeemer of the Blood , can kill them . The Unintentional Murderer has to stay there till the death of the Kohein Gadol and only then can they leave . If they were learning Studies from a Rabbi , then the Rabbi too must go into the City of Refuge with the person , for the Rabbi should have been enough of a Spiritual influence on the person , that they should not have been lacking the spiritual holiness , for such an event to have never come to them committing it . The Term ends with the death of the Kohein Gadol , for the demise of a Holy person, can work toward the atonement of that generation and also , the representative of the generation - The Kohein Gadol , should be Holy enough so as to keep his generation pure enough that such things should not be able to happen . The idea of the " Goel Ha Dam , " is deeper than it sounds , for the true Redeemer of the Blood should be the person whose blood spilled on the ground that the Earth swallows up and has to cover , which it does not want to do until that person is avenged of the person who committed it . Intentional Murder , must be judged with total strictness , to remove the evil from existence and thus , such a person must be sentenced to death , even to the case where such a perpetrator holds onto the horns of the Altar , as did Yoav , whom Shlomo Ha Melech was told by his Father David to sentence to death , for the purposeful slaying of two holy men of David's army . Shlomo instructed his faithful delegate Benayahu to kill Yoav where he stands . We are to root out the evil from the World .
Chazal says that the blood swallowed up by the ground doesn't rest till the slain is avenged . We see this as an example , when King Achav / Achaz and Izevel ( Jezebel ) had false witnesses set up so as to have a neighbor Navos slain , because he wanted Navos' vineyard that the time came that Achav wanted to go to war with Aram . Achav had 400 prophets who advised him wrong , to go to battle against Aram , but one true prophet Micaiah ben Imlah warned him not to . He didn't listen and went dressed in disguise as an ordinary soldier , thinking he could fool the enemy , who would naturally go for the king , but Achav/Ahaz got shot with an arrow and , being the only one to die in the battle , fought till the end and died . Up in the Heavenly Court , HaShem Asked if anyone would stand in that Achav should die , and the soul of Navos , that Achav had killed stood in and said ' let him die , ' and so , Ahav/Achaz died . Izevel too was punished , for she too met with a grizzly fate , and her body was torn to pieces and eaten by dogs , on the very field , she had helped steal from Navos , whom she helped kill . Thus , a murdered person's blood cries from the ground .
The question of Tribal Marriage comes up , where Tzelafchad's daughters are instructed to marry within their own Tribe , and so was the Law , so that Tribal Territory remains within the Tribe it is allotted to and so ends the Parsha . The Haftorah for this Shabbos , is Yirmeyahu 2:4-28;3:4;4;1-2 and continues The Upset HaShem Feels at us , at this time , between the three weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av Tisha B'Av , that we are in right now .
We note through these Sedras , a general idea of leadership responsibility , where the ones in charge have a responsibility for those they lead and thus serve . Note how I put that a leader serves . Usually in the secular World , people would serve their leader , but HaShem in Yiddishkeit Teaches the proper way , where a Leader in Judaism , is to serve those he looks after , for they are his responsibility and he is to work toward ensuring that they remain holy and pure , and thus he is to lead by example , for he must be holy and pure himself , which is the best teacher and example , for all counts on how he lives and portrays himself . As the saying goes , ' teach by example . '
HaShem Puts people in high positions to Give them an opportunity for them to bring goodness and holiness to their community . A leader needs to remember that it Is HaShem Who Put them in a Leadership Position. They would never have gotten there on their own . HaShem Only , Sets them there . So many Leaders today , think they got there via their own need to climb to higher positions . But they need to realize that HaShem Only , Is In Charge , and that He Is Giving them a Test to work for Him and the people , and not work only for themselves as a leader , for it is HaShem Who Makes all things and puts people in a position to lead and Gives them the opportunity to do Good . A Leader , is in a very special position , chosen by HaShem , to represent Right and Honest and Just Ways and never to take advatage of his position in only furthering his own selfish ends . A Leader is to Lead by holy and righteous example . Dovid Ha Melech , would always carry with him a Torah and he , at all times , remembered Whom he was serving , Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu , The Holy One Blessed Be He .
The Task of a Jewish Leader , is to be a Teacher , Keeper of , and Promoter to his people , of HaShem's Torah . The best example is the one we set ourselves . We may not all be Leaders , but as Hillel said in Pirkei Avos , ' In a place where there are no Leaders , Strive to be a Leader . ' In other words , the World around each one of us that we are in the midst of , as our own personal World , is our place to lead , not as a boss , but as a World to serve and wherever we " Masei " - " Journey , " we are to bring the Light of HaShem there . The World Is Created for each one of us , and we are to teach all around us by example , to be Holy and Pure and Righteous and Good and Moral and Kind , to thus Emulate the Sweet Beautiful Ways Of HaShem , to all around us and so , be a ' Leader ' by ' Serving ,' and bringing to Holiness and Light , all around us , to HaShem .
The World around each one of us , is like a " Bamidbar " - " A Wilderness , " that we as HaShem's ' Malachim ' - ' Angels ' are to make alive , by bringing HaShem's Light into every corner of it , and so make the World in the midst of which , each one of us live , into a Garden of Eden .
I wish HaShem with all my love , A Very Sweet Special And Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh And Chodesh Tov with Forever Love , and to all my fellow Yidden , a Very Sweet Special and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chodesh Tov with love .
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