Devarim Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Va'etchanan Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
Ekev Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
Re'eh Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Ki Tetze' Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19
Ki Tavo' Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8
Nitzavim Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20
Vayelech Deuteronomy 31:1-30
Ha'azinu Deuteronomy 32:1-52
Vezot Haberachah Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12
Ready for the Fear of God
CONTEXT: The preceding book of the Torah had brought the Israelites to the Jordan River, the natural barrier that separated them from their goal, the Promised Land. Now, Deuteronomy presents six speeches that Moses is said to have delivered to his people before he died and they crossed the Jordan under the leadership of Joshua. The book begins by setting the scene in which the speeches were delivered.
'These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel at the crossing of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the 'Aravah, opposite Suf, between Pa'ran and Tofel, and Lavan, and Chatzerot and Di-Zahav.'
Deuteronomy 1:1
'At the crossing of the Jordan' – [Moses] was prevented from admonishing them until they were 'At the crossing of the Jordan' for they realised that when they reached their goal they would then be able to accept his discipline, but not before, when they were far from what they hoped for, their spirits were constricted and they would not incline their ears to pay attention to his admonishments. Then it says: 'in the wilderness, in the 'Aravah...' Our Sages of blessed memory have explained that he admonished them about what they had done in the wilderness (Sifre Deuteronomy §1). [But] it is possible to expound this entire scripture allegorically in another fashion, namely that in this section of the Bible Moses has taught the principles of fear of GOD and the proper qualities one requires to walk in GOD's Torah. These qualities are nine:
The first is that one should take [on board] the quality of Abraham [identified in kabbalistic thought with Hesed, Lovingkindness], of whom it is written: 'To Abram the Hebrew (ha'iVRY)' (Genesis 14:13). This is what is alluded to when it says: 'At the crossing (be'eVeR)'.
The second is that one should keep chastisement (maRDut) in one's heart at all times, as [our Sages] of blessed memory have said: 'Better is one [thought of] chastisement in one's heart than a hundred lashes' (Talmud, Berachot 7a, slightly misquoted). This is what is alluded to when it says: 'the Jordan (hayaRDen)'.
The third is the quality of humility, as [our Sages] of blessed memory have said: 'A person should always make themselves like the wilderness' (Talmud, Eruvin 54a, slightly misquoted).... And this is what is alluded to when it says: 'In the wilderness'.
The fourth is that one should be humble by avoidance [of excess] and not by disparagement, as Maimonides says [in his Mishneh Torah] in the Laws of Ethical Ideas (chapter 5). Moreover, a stipulation [relating to] humility is that one does not use it to avoid delivering admonishments against a transgression if one sees someone violating the word of GOD, by saying: 'Who am I, and who is my family, that I should admonish great people?' Rather, [humility in this context means] that one must admonish as part [of our] obligation [as Jews to act as] a guarantee ('aRVut) [for each other]. This is what is alluded to when it says: 'in the 'ARaVaH'. This comprises two things: 1. that humility should be pleasant ('aReVaH), as it says: 'Find favour and good understanding...' (Proverbs 3:4), and 2. that the obligation [to act as] a guarantee [means] that one must admonish the small and the great for transgressions, and not act with [unwarranted] humility in this matter.
The fifth: The saying of the Tanna': 'Bear in mind three things [and you will not fall into the power of sin: Know from where you come], and where you are going, and before Whom in the future you will give an account and a reckoning' (Mishnah, Pirke 'Avot 3:1) and the Tanna' also said: 'Repent one day [before your death]' (Pirke 'Avot 2:10). The meaning there is that [one's] intention should be to remember the day of one's death always and that every day is borderline-in-time to death. And this is what is alluded to when it says: 'opposite/before Suf', [namely] that before one's eyes should be a person's end (sof) and purpose.
The sixth: The saying of the pious 'The ascetic has joy in his face and concern in his heart' (Bachya ibn Pakuda, Duties of the Heart, Gate of Asceticism, chapter 4). This is what is alluded to when it says: 'between Paran and Tofel'. Corresponding to 'between Pa'ran' it says 'joy in his face' – the word pe'er (glory) is the opposite of sorrow, which is a sad face, and corresponding to a sad heart, it says 'and Tofel', so that one's heart should not be pleased with oneself. Rather one's heart should be sad as a result of dread lest one transgress the word of GOD, whether in great or small things, without being aware of it, or lest one diminish [one's] service to less than is required to be done.
Seven: That one's heart should be pure and clean, as David prayed: 'Create in me a pure heart...' (Psalm 51:12), and that one should keep far from it hatred of [other] human beings, envy, strife and enmity. This is what is alluded to when it says: 'Lavan' – that one's heart (LeV) should be pure, for this term lavan ('white') applies to purity.
Eight: The regular study of Torah, as our father Jacob [engaged in], as it is written: 'a dweller in tents' (Genesis 25:27; cf. Bereshit Rabbah 63:10) – [and] not casual study. And this is what is alluded to when it says: 'and Chatzerot' These are the courts (chatzrot) of GOD, i.e. the Houses of Study.
Nine: That one should not be over-eager for things that tend toward the love of the glory of this world, for anyone who goes after the desires of their heart is removed from the service of GOD, and a person must be satisfied [only] with what is necessary. And this is what is alluded to when it says: 'and Di-Zahav' – [meaning] that one should say 'enough' (Dai) to gold (zahav). Or, that one might think of it this way: that whatever one has should seem sufficient, as if it were all gold. This is along the lines the saying: 'Who is rich? Those who are happy with what they have' (Pirke 'Avot 4:1), and in this way one can incline one's heart to the higher service, the service of GOD, the living God.
Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743), 'Or HaHayyim (Jerusalem: A. Blum, 1994), pt.5, pp.2-3.
COMMENT: At first sight, the opening verse of the fifth book of the Torah simply gives geographical details designed to authenticate the speeches of Moses that follow, but Rabbi Hayyim ibn Attar has other ideas.
He begins by suggesting that the geographical details actually refer to the social psychology of the situation that Moses and the Israelites faced at the time. According to ibn Attar, the reference to the crossing of the Jordan river means that the people could see that their final destination was in sight, and would thus be ready to hear Moses' words of criticism and encouragement – something they were not ready to do during the years of wilderness wandering, when there were many rebellions against Moses' leadership. And a midrash (from the Sifre) is cited which claims that the phrase 'in the wilderness' is not a matter of location, but of history. Moses would criticise the behaviour of the people during the wilderness years.
But ibn Attar's real purpose is the allegorical interpretation he proposes for the place names given in the verse. Of course, he has to bend the names to suit his proposal, but the results give an interesting insight into the spiritual path he recommends. It is the path of love and humility, without fear of speaking one's mind. It is a path of joy and of distancing oneself from the things of this world. It is a path that we could still walk with benefit to ourselves and to others.
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Learning & Understanding
CONTEXT: In first speech to the people, Moses recounts the story of their journey from Mount Sinai up to the present. Verses 9-18 of chapter 1 gives Moses' take on the appointment of judges first described in Exodus 18:13ff.
['Take men of wisdom and of understanding and of knowledge from your tribes and make them leaders over you.'
Deuteronomy 1:13]
If it were not for understanding (BINaH) civilisation would not stand for even one hour, as it is said: 'Take men of wisdom and of understanding (neVoNim) [and of knowledge]' (Deuteronomy 1:13). At that very moment the Holy Blessed One said to Israel: 'My children, set men of understanding as leaders over you.' Moses immediately went about Israel's homes seeking men who were men of understanding, but he found none, as it is said: 'So I took as the heads of your tribes men of wisdom and knowledge' (Deuteronomy 1:15), but he did not find any understanding ones.
From this you should learn that understanding is more important to the Holy Blessed One than the Torah, for even if a person reads Torah, the Prophets and the Writings, studies Mishnah and midrash, law (halachot) and lore (aggadot)... but has no understanding, their learning is worthless, as it is said: 'And the understanding of their people of understanding will be hidden' (Isaiah 29:14).
'Otiot deRabbi 'Aqiva in Abraham Joseph Wertheimer (ed.), Batei Midrashot (Jerusalem: Mossad HaRav Kook, 1952, 1955), v.2, p.358.
COMMENT: The clear literary issue of this passage is the apparent contradiction between the type of person Moses was instructed to find to act as judge, in verse 13 and the type he actually found, in verse 15. But it is unclear exactly what 'understanding' means here. In later kabbalistic psychology, 'wisdom' (Hochmah) is the flash of inspiration or thought, while 'understanding' (Binah) is the working out of the implications of that thought. Together with 'knowledge' (Da'at) they make an intellectual triad, alluding to both human and divine processes.
My reading of the passage above is that God instructed Moses to find group leaders who had flashes of inspiration and insightful thought, who could apply their thoughts to the benefit of the community effectively because they had worked out their implications, and who had the knowledge of the people and their needs to apply them fairly and compassionately. ('Knowledge' in Hebrew has connotations of relationship.) In the end, he found people with knowledge (identified, rather anachronistically in our passage, with knowledge of Jewish texts, but presumably also knowledge of the people) and insight, but without 'understanding'. Apparently, they lacked the capacity to work out the impact their plans and decisions would have in the wider community. Without that capacity, they would run the danger of being too intellectual and remote from the people they were meant to serve, or of being too much a part of the people that they could not offer the moral and spiritual leadership that was required, because they were lacking in objectivity.
(Alternatively, a leader may be too much immersed in texts to relate to real people and their real needs. Perhaps Moses was instructed to look for men who could connect their insightful thoughts with Torah-texts, rather than those who would follow precedent slavishly.)
Of course, no one is perfect, not so-called 'ordinary' people, nor leaders, but a good leader has not only good thoughts and good relationships, but also the 'understanding' to bridge the gap between them. Good leaders have to maintain a certain distance from those they lead, but not too great a distance. There needs to be a gap, but it must not be too wide, or it will become unbridgable. And if leaders cannot bridge that gap, then even the best of them will ultimately fail.
We are all leaders, even if only occasionally. We all have influence, if only on our immediate circle, though our influence may often be much greater than we imagine. Thus, we must all learn to bridge the gap between our good thoughts and our relationships. We need to develop our Binah, so that we can connect our Hochmah with our Da'at, for when there is no understanding, civilisation will not stand for long.
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Lack of Trust
CONTEXT: Chapter 1 of Deuteronomy recounts the story of the twelve spies sent to report on the Land of Canaan and its inhabitants. This tragic tale of a disastrous loss of confidence was first told in Numbers 13, but now it is told from Moses' point of view.
'And in this way you do not trust in GOD your God.'
Deuteronomy 1:32
To arrive at the meaning [of this] we must remember the teaching of our sages of blessed memory [on] parashat Balak:
'Come and see how humble the Holy Blessed One was! [In the case of a human] king, his servant carries the lamp in front of him, but the Holy Blessed One came with a pillar of fire by night to give them light. [In the case of a human] king, his servant goes before him to straighten his path, but the Holy Blessed One went before them by day to smooth out their path. [In the case of a human] king, his servant goes before him to spy out a resting-place for him, but the Holy Blessed One went before them to spy out a resting-place for them. [In the case of a human] king, his servant washes and helps his master on with his shoes, but the Holy Blessed One [said]: 'I washed you [...] and helped you on with your shoes...' (Ezekiel 16:9,10) [cf. Tanchuma (Buber ed.), Beshallach ch.10].
Look, they are teaching us the strength of the Blessed One's humility; something that it would not [otherwise] be quite fitting and permissible for the mouth to say, [namely] that [God] treated this people like a servant his master. And in this way, we will come to the meaning, which is:
After Moses finished complaining against Israel that after all the good that [God] had done for them in the wilderness, by carrying them as a father carries his son [v.31], [they were] ungrateful and did not trust [God's] words.
Thus he is saying to them again: 'I am returning to the place I came from! And I say that I am not surprised that you do not trust [God], because [God's] great humility, as it were, which [God] employed in dealing with you, is the cause of your lack of trust.' And this is because they did not see that [God] was acting towards them like a servant to his master. Therefore, they said in their hearts: 'Is it possible that the Sovereign beyond all Sovereigns should act [in this way] for servants? Who could believe a thing like this?' Therefore, this was the cause of their lack of trust, that [God] would act like this towards them.
This was what Moses said: 'And in this way' – i.e. [it is] on account of this thing that [God] did for you that 'you do not trust in GOD your God'. For [it was God] 'who went before you on the way' (v.33) which is what a servant does for his master. Likewise, [it was God] 'who spied out a place for you to rest' – which is also what a servant does. And likewise [it was God] 'with a fire by night for you to see the way you are going' – like a servant who leads his master with a lantern, and not only that but 'and a cloud by day'....
Moses Alsheich (d. after 1593), Torat Moshe (Warsaw, n.d.), pt.5, p.11.
COMMENT: In this text, Moses Alsheich takes a daring midrash and gives it an extraordinarily modern twist. The midrash is designed to emphasize God's humility by presenting God as Israel's servant, rather than Master! Israel the servant of God is transformed into Israel God's master, as it were!
This is Alsheich's cue for putting forward a view of God's activity in the world as particularly subtle. God's actions on our behalf are so unobtrusive, so commonplace, so much a part of the fabric of existence (indeed, they are the fabric of existence) that they are easy to overlook. We have a tendency, he implies, to expect God to act through miracles and other exceptional events. But in fact, God is present and active in all occurs, so it is no wonder that the Israelites could not detect God in all that had happened to them. They need a great religious teacher like Moses to point it out to them and to help them develop the mental and spiritual techniques for recognising God's immanence.
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Passing Through A Spiritual Wilderness
CONTEXT: In the second chapter of Deuteronomy Moses recalls the difficulties encountered by the Israelites as they negotiated their way around the territories of Moab and Ammonites, and of Sihon king of Heshbon. This tale was first told in Numbers 20.
'For GOD, your God, has blessed you in all the work of your hand; [God] knows how you walk in this great wilderness....'
Deuteronomy 2:7
Look here, this parashah is always read during the nine days from the New Moon of 'Av until the Ninth [of 'Av]. And through many matters, the parashah alludes to the recollection of how we passed from place to place, and that GOD, our God, was with us, in order to teach us that although we pass 'between the straits' (Lamentations 1:3, bein hametzarim – [the name given to the three week period leading up to Tisha Be'Av]), and from the New Moon of 'Av until the Ninth, 'GOD will not forsake this people and this heritage' (Psalm 94:14). And just as we crossed a wilderness in a land no one had ever crossed, 'and GOD went before them...' (Exodus 13:21), so too, in these days, which are also known as a wilderness and a 'valley of the shadow of death', as it is written in the verse: 'Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no harm, for You are with me' (Psalm 23:4)....
Israel ben Shabbetai Hapstein, the Maggid of Koznitz (1733-1814), Sefer 'Avodat Yisra'el (Jerusalem, 1998), p.214.
COMMENT: The Maggid of Koznitz has noticed that the sidra of Devarim is always read on the Shabbat before the Ninth of 'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem as well as a commemoration of numerous other tragedies of Jewish history, and for him, this cannot be a coincidence. Therefore, what lesson might there be in Moses' retelling of the story of the wandering in the wilderness for the period of the year leading up to that saddest of days of the Jewish calendar? For the Koznitzer, the answer is simple: Just as God was with the people of Israel in the wilderness, so too God is present with us as we pass through the wilderness of the three weeks between the Seventeenth of Tammuz, the anniversary of the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and the Ninth of 'Av.
But when he says 'these days' might he not also mean that God's presence is with us whenever we feel that we are going through a spiritual wilderness. Perhaps ill health or difficulties in work or relationships have brought depression in their wake. The Koznitzer reminds us that through it all God is present. No emotion lasts forever. Indeed, emotions are particularly ephemeral. If we are depressed, we need to bear in mind that depression does not last forever, and if we can become aware of God's presence, and trust in it, we may be lifted out of our depression that much sooner.
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'What's in a Name?'
CONTEXT: Chapter 3 tells of the defeat of Og, king of Bashan, and the lands seized from his kingdom, an episode first recounted in Numbers 21. Here much more detail is given, including often obscure historical and geographical facts.
'Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir.'
Deuteronomy 3:9
On the surface, why are we told about this? Or [in other words], why has the Torah written [about] how [Hermon] is known in each language?
However, one may say that the purpose is as follows: There are righteous people whose constant wish and desire is to make 'GOD's right hand exalted' (Psalm 118:16) and that [God's] great and holy name be sanctified throughout the world. And it is also their desire to make the Other Side, known by the name of 'left' [or] the left side, fall [and] be humbled to the ground, so that it should not – God forbid! – be like a servant that acts as king, [a phrase that] is well known from the books of the kabbalists. Now the inclination towards evil is called 'Hermon' (CHeRMon) because it destroys (maCHaRiM) and ruins the people who turn to obey it, and also because it is 'a net cast over all living' (Pirke 'Avot 3:16). [It is] an expression [meaning] 'destruction' (CHeReM) and 'a net'. And this is the interpretation of the verse: 'Sidonians' (TZiDonim) are the wicked who go on the side (TZaD) and do not walk in the middle way, which is the straight[-forward] way that lies before a person, as mentioned by the RaMBaM (Maimonides, 1135-1204) of blessed memory in [his commentary to the Mishnah, introduction to tractate] Pirke 'Avot. See there, and in his magnum opus [the Mishneh Torah] in Hilchot De'ot.
So, the wicked who turn themselves towards the evil way are called 'Sidonians'. And they call 'Hermon', which [refers to] the inclination towards evil 'SiRYoN' the letters of which [form the phrase] Semol Ram; Yemin Nofel, 'the Left is exalted; the Right falls' – for their wish is to subdue holiness – God forbid! – and to let the servant act as king – God forbid! But 'the Amorites' – i.e. the righteous who always praise the Holy Blessed One, from the expression 'and you have affirmed (he'eMaRta) GOD' (Deuteronomy 26:17), 'call it SeNYR' meaning that their constant wish is: Semol Nofel; Yemin Ram, 'the Left falls; the Right is exalted,' [a phrase which is made up of] the letters of SeNYR. And this is easy to understand.
Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apt (d.1825), 'Ohev Yisra'el (Zhitomir, 1863), pp.159-160.
COMMENT: At first sight, it does seem a little bit strange, at least to the Apter rebbe, that the Torah bothers to give purely historical and antiquarian information about the names various ancient peoples give to various sites. What does that have to do with us? What does it have to teach us? Making use of word-plays and notarikon, the method of taking the letters of a given word as the first letters of the words of a phrase or sentence, he attempts to answer this very question. (This takes him a long way from the plain meaning of the text, of course, but he would say that he is disclosing its hidden meaning.)
Hermon represents the inclination towards evil, and the Sidonians, those who deliberately turn towards it from the straight path. Sirion, then, refers to the attitude of the wicked, who would exalt the evil at the expense of the good. (The identification of the left with evil is a commonplace of kabbalistic and Hasidic literature, and is found in other cultures as well; e.g. 'sinister' comes from the Latin meaning 'left'.)
The Amorites, those who talk of and affirm God (both verbs from the root 'MR in Hebrew), on the other hand, have the opposite attitude, wishing to exalt the good over the evil, as expressed through the letters of the name Senir.
But the real point here seems to be that both Sirion and Senir refer to the same mountain, Hermon. All 'things' are morally neutral, devoid of intrinsic moral value. Moral values are imposed by human beings; whether something is good or bad is up to us. The Apter is calling upon us to make a decision between two attitudes, between having and being, between using and appreciating. This decision is, in fact, something that we have to do constantly and repeatedly, as each new situation in life presents us with new challenges and dilemmas. How are we to make the correct choices? By being among the 'Amorites', those who affirm God we can learn to affirm the positive values of life.
Purifying Our Motives
CONTEXT: Having recounted the story of Israel's journey since their emergence from Egyptian slavery, Moses considers how amazing a story it is, unique in human annals: 'Has anything as great as this ever happened?' (4:32)
'Since the day that God [created a human being on the earth].'
Deuteronomy 4:32
The explanation [of this verse] is that if people do a good deed in public, it may happen that they have ulterior motives. But if one 'walks humbly' (cf. Micah 6:8), then one would certainly be wary of ulterior motives. Therefore, one should imagine that one is the only person in the world, like our ancestor Abraham, all of whose generation were pagans, while he alone served the Creator. By this means, one is saved from ulterior motives. This is [the explanation of the verse]: 'Since the day God created a human being' – in the singular – 'on the earth.'
Pinchas of Koretz (1726-1791), Ms 803759 in Jewish National & University Library, fol.42b.
COMMENT: The Koretzer rebbe takes up a well known theme in Hasidic literature: the purification of one's motives. Is a good deed still good if it is performed with the wrong motives? Many Hasidic teachers, the Koretzer included, would say 'no'. (I would say that the social and communal benefits may still accrue, but that the spiritual benefits to the doer would be seriously curtailed.)
Rebbe Pinchas points out that a good deed done in public may involve the doer with a sense of pride and accomplishment which taint the spiritual impact of the deed, but that a truly humble person would wish to avoid such a taint. So, how can one accomplish a good deed in public without self-importance getting in the way? With a meditation. Imagine that you are alone, like Abraham, the only true servant of God in the world. What others do, what others think, is irrelevant. Then you will be able to act selflessly, even though you act in the presence of others.
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Nothing but God
CONTEXT: Because God has done such amazing things for Israel by rescuing them from slavery and bringing them through the wilderness, Israel is obliged to acknowledge and be loyal to God alone.
'You should know this day, and take it to heart, that GOD is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.'
Deuteronomy 4:39
The meaning [of this verse] is not that there is no other God, for that is obvious, and God has already revealed this in the verse, 'Hear O Israel, GOD is our God, GOD is one' (Deuteronomy 6:4). Rather, the intention is to say that there is no other existence in the world apart from God's-may God be blessed-and that if God were to be [completely] concealed everything would be destroyed.
Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz (c.1570-1626), Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Be'Asarah Ma'amarot, no.1 (Jerusalem: 1975; reprint of 1863 ed.), v.1, p.30a.
The meaning [of this verse is] that in all the existence of the universe, there is no [true] existence, apart from the blessed God's alone. So, whatever a person sees with their physical eyes has no [real] existence at all, but only what one sees with one's 'rational' eyes.
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1859), 'Ohel Torah MeHaRabbi MiKotzk (Lublin, 1909), p.58.
COMMENT: Both of these texts point in the same direction, though they are separated by over two centuries. In both cases, the interpretation centres around the last two words of the Hebrew of our verse: 'ayn 'od. Normally, these are translated much as I have done above: 'There is no other', as if to say that there are no other gods. But Isaiah Horowitz explicitly rejects this interpretation, on the principle that the Torah does not repeat itself. And he and the Kotzker would agree in translating those two words as: 'There is nothing else,' meaning that there is nothing else in the universe except God. Do they wish to imply further that all matter is an illusion, as the Hindu mystics say, or simply that everything has real existence only through the divine energies within it? That is a question for scholars of these texts.
For our purposes, it is sufficient to note that this doctrine of divine immanence does exist in Judaism, despite the fact that most of our central texts, like the Bible and the prayerbook, employ the language of transcendence, addressing and speaking of God as if God were 'out there', separate from ourselves.
Many modern Jews, in my experience, are sceptical of a transcendent God, because this notion may entangle them in issues of God's omnipotence versus God's goodness. ('If God is all-powerful and good, how could God allow the Holocaust, for example, to happen?') Divine immanence, the notion of God within each and every individual, and all that is, may offer a spiritual way forward for them. We are all capable of good deeds and feats of heroism and goodness beyond our normal capacity. Might these things not be aspects of God within us?
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Only God Truly Is
CONTEXT: In his retelling of the nation's history, Moses recalls the Ten Commandments, offering them in a version that differs in some points from the text in Exodus 20.
'I am GOD your God...'
Deuteronomy 5:6
The purpose of this commandment along this path is that each person is obligated to explore, seek and try to recognise their Creator, and to know that [God's] is a truly existent entity, giving existence to all other existents from absolute nothingness, as it is said: 'You should know this day, and take it to heart, that GOD is God in the heavens above' (Deuteronomy 4:39). And one should picture in one's heart that all is [derived] from [God] through will and power...
Menachem Ziyyoni (late 14th-early 15th century), Sefer Ziyyoni (Lvov, 1882; reprinted Jerusalem, 1964), p.69a.
COMMENT: For Menachem Ziyyoni, the opening words of the so-called Ten Commandments are not merely introducing God as the speaker and lawgiver. They imply the obligation of each individual to seek God for themselves. Perhaps he infers this from the fact that the Hebrew for 'your God' here is 'elohecha, where the suffix -cha indicates 'your' in the singular ('thy' in older translations) as opposed to -chem, the plural form.
From this point of view, the spiritual search for God, the desire to know God, is not a luxury for the few. It is a necessity for all those who would see themselves as religious or spiritual beings.
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Divine Unity Implies the Unity of All
CONTEXT: Moses offers encouragement to the people to be loyal to God and observe God's laws, like a coach speaking to his team. In the course of speech, he speaks some lines which became central to Jewish faith and liturgy, lines that become known as the Shema' (Hear!) from their first word.
'Hear O Israel, GOD is our God, GOD is one.'
Deuteronomy 6:4
The intent of [the word] 'one' in the unification [that is known as] the recitation of the Shema': one should concentrate on [the notion that] there is nothing in the universe, except the Holy Blessed One, whose 'glory fills the entire world' (Isaiah 6:3). The essential intent is that a person should see themselves as nothing, as nought, one whose essence is only the soul within, which is a part of the divine above. Thus, there is nothing in the entire universe except the one Holy Blessed One, and the intent of [the word] 'one' is that one should concentrate on [the notion] that [God's] glory fills the entire world, and that there is nothing that is empty of the blessed God.
From Likkutim Yekarim, quoted in Shim'on Menachem Mendel of Govarchov (ed.), Sefer Ba'al Shem Tov (Jerusalem, n.d.), v.II, p.163.
[R. Pinchas] said: When a person concentrates, particularly at [the word] 'echad, 'one,' during the recitation of the Shema', [on the fact that] GOD – may God's name be blessed – is in every place, even in all (evil) thoughts, if one concentrates and believes this strongly, then [everything] is exalted, and even the wicked then repent or fall.
Pinchas of Koretz (1726-1791), Ms 803759 in Jewish National & University Library, fol.10a.
Furthermore, he said: When people say 'Hear O Israel, GOD is our God, GOD is one,' they should intend to unite all levels [of existence] and to raise them upwards. Then the wicked will either become good or fall.
Pinchas of Koretz (1726-1791), Ms 803759 in Jewish National & University Library, fol.11b.
COMMENT: The passage from the Ba'al Shem Tov clearly states a common Hasidic view that the only real thing in the universe is God, and this is attached to the central text of the Jewish faith. And therefore, when praying or contemplating the Shema' it is essential to keep in mind the two 'poles' of existence, namely, God 'within' and God 'outside' of ourselves.
The two passages from Pinchas of Koretz are clearly two variants of the same teaching.
For most people, the first line of the Shema' is essentially a statement of the belief that there is only one God, but for the Koretzer (as for the Besht) it is not simply a theological and theoretical proposition, but as statement of fact, something to be experienced, and not just espoused. When one is saying the Shema' one is also simultaneously reaffirming that God is everywhere, filling all levels of existence, from the lowest most physical realm to the highest most spiritual. And saying these words, while experiencing that unity, results, according to Rabbi Pinchas, in the repentance or downfall of the wicked.
What did he mean by that? Perhaps the simplest explanation is that he meant that if the wicked were to experience that unity even they would repent of their misdeeds, sin being the result of mistaking the part for the whole. Or perhaps he meant that if everyone experienced the unity of God and of Creation that the wicked would be forced to see the error of their ways. Or, alternatively, perhaps he meant that those evil elements within ourselves repent or fall in the face of the experience of the interconnectedness of all things in God. When we can truly recognize that God is one, that God's universe is One, then we become humble, and this in turn allows us to subdue those baser elements within us.
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Love for God
CONTEXT: The unity of God proclaimed by Moses in the previous verse our dependence on God for all things, and that in turn suggests that we should love God with all that we receive from God. And what we receive, in the first instance, is our very selves.
'You shall love GOD, your God, with all your heart...'
Deuteronomy 6:5
He [Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav (1772-1811)] spoke a great deal about the great awe and fear [of God] that he had in his youth, how enthusiastic and very holy he had been. He said that he used to begin several times each day, that is, that each day he would begin to be a fit person ('ish kasher), that from that moment on he would serve the blessed God; then later, on the same day, he would fall from this [level], sinking into the desire for food or the like. Then he would go back, and would begin on that day, once more, in the same hour, to be a fit person, and so on. Then he would fall, and go back, and begin anew, and so on, many times during one day.
We had already often heard from him how many beginnings he had had, when he had begun anew to serve GOD.
This is a great principle in the service of GOD: Not to allow oneself to fall [irrevocably] – God forbid – because one has fallen from some service or from prayer with intention or because one has fallen to the place one has fallen – God forbid. One should nevertheless strengthen oneself with all possible means and begin anew once again as if on that day one would begin to draw near to the blessed God. Even if this happens many times, that is, [even if] – God forbid – one experiences many falls from the service of the blessed God, one should nevertheless begin anew each time, however, frequently. For without this, it is impossible to become a truly fit person and to draw near to the blessed God in truth.
Whenever one is not strong in one's mind, for one should always draw oneself to the blessed God with whatever one can, whether [one is] in ascent or in descent – God forbid – no matter how [deep] the descent may be – God forbid – nevertheless, one should be strong and courageous in one's mind, by drawing oneself, by continually longing and yearning for the blessed God, by crying out, by continually praying and entreating the blessed God, and by doing what one can in the service of GOD joyfully, no matter how one feels. Whenever one is not truly strengthening oneself like this, it is not truly possible to draw oneself near to the blessed God.
So, one must strengthen oneself until one ineluctably becomes acceptable for the service of GOD always, all the days of one's life, 'without the condition of receiving a reward' (Pirke 'Avot 1:3). For sometimes it seems to a person that [the hope of] being worthy of the life of the world-to-come is a distant one, because of one's great distance from the blessed God. Nevertheless, one should become acceptable by doing what one can in the service of GOD without [the hope of] the world-to-come. And even if it should seem that one will have Gehinnom instead – God forbid – however, it will be – one is constantly obliged to do what one can in the service of GOD, by seizing hold of some good deed, teaching or prayer, or the like; and GOD will do what seems right to [God].
This is similar to what is related in the name of the Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-1760) – may the memory of the righteous be a blessing: Once he fell mentally a very great deal, until it seemed to him that he would certainly never have a place in the world-to-come – God forbid – and he had nothing to revive himself with at all. Then he said: 'I love the blessed God without the world-to-come.'
It is impossible for anyone, even a simple person, to become a truly fit person unless one can stand by all that is mentioned above. Even on any given day, one may have to strengthen oneself many times, and begin each time anew, as mentioned above, until one becomes worthy on many days of walking in the ways of GOD properly. Amen.
Nathan of Breslov (Nemirov) (1780-1844), Sichot HaRaN ('The Conversations of Rabbi Nachman') (Jerusalem, 1979), no.48, pp.30-31. (cf. Sefer Ba'al Shem Tov (Jerusalem, n.d.), v.II, p.169.)
COMMENT: This text, coming as it does from the 'conversations' (as opposed to the sermons) of Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav, is fairly straightforward. The essential question being addressed is: What is the love of God? Or, rather, how does one express one's love for God?
Of course, there are many possible answers to this question, but for Rabbi Nachman, as reported here, the primary answer is: One expresses one's love for the divine by not allowing one's failures to become a barrier. We will always experience failures – we are only human – but we can also begin again, as Rabbi Nachman did, by his own admission. The struggle for perfection is a constant one, but it must be undertaken for its own sake, nor for the sake of some reward, now or in the next life.
Why be Afraid?
CONTEXT: Chapter 7 of Deuteronomy is devoted to the subject of the conquest of the Land of Canaan, the treatment of its inhabitants and encouraging the Israelites to have no fear in the forthcoming struggle.
'If you say in your heart, "These nations are greater than I am; how will I be able to dispossess them?...." Do not be afraid of them.'
Deuteronomy 7:17-18
...It truly seems that the general principle is that if some sort of impediment to the service of the blessed Creator presents itself – God forbid – the main point is that no fear or anxiety should enter one's head. Then, certainly, with the help of God – may God and God's name be blessed – it will cause no harm. This is hinted at in the verse: 'If you say in your heart, "These nations are greater than I am."' You are permitted to say this, but the Torah is advising you. This is hinted at [in the next phrase]: 'How will I be able to dispossess them?' That is to say that the Torah is advising you, i.e. by this means will you be able to dispossess them: 'Do not be afraid of them.' Then you will certainly be able to dispossess them.
Levi Isaac of Berditchev (1740-1809), Qedushat Levi HaShalem (Munkacs, 1829), p.87a.
COMMENT: Life often presents us with difficult tasks and challenges. Some of them may seem quite formidable, even insurmountable. Levi Isaac of Berditchev says these are represented in our text by the nations that Israelites faced as they set about conquering the promised land. The problems we face may indeed be formidable, but we can conquer them, the Berditchever suggests, if we set aside our fear, as the Israelites were advised to do.
If it is God's will that we succeed in overcoming the obstacles that lie before us, then we will succeed. In which case, why be afraid to them? And if it is not God's will that we succeed, what benefit will being afraid bring us? If we face all our challenges with trust in God, we can banish fear and be secure in our destiny.
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How to Eat III
CONTEXT: The first half of chapter 8 of Deuteronomy is a reminder of how God sustained the Israelites during the wilderness years, a reminder that is meant to lead to appreciation and loyalty to God.
'[God] subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, in order to teach you that a person does not live on bread alone, but that a person may live on anything that issues from the mouth of GOD.'
Deuteronomy 8:3
.....Some researchers ask: Where does the life force of the soul (neshamah) come from? For knowledge does not lead to the conclusion that the life force of the soul comes from bread and [other types of] physical food, but neither can we say that the soul can live without food like an angel [can]....
However, when a person takes a piece of fruit or some other food, and recites a blessing over it with concentration (or, proper intention, kavannah), and says: 'Blessed are You GOD...', when one mentions the [divine] name, one awakens the life force by which that fruit was created, for everything was created by means of the [divine] name. [Then] like finds like [i.e. the life force of the fruit joins with the life force of the soul] and awakens it. So, this life force [i.e. that of the fruit] is the sustenance of the soul...
Israel ben Eliezer, the Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-1760), Keter Shem Tov, §194 (=Sefer HaBesht, v.II, p.187).
COMMENT: If the spirit is of a different quality and nature from the physical, then where does it draw it sustenance from? Its source cannot lie in the physical act of eating, for the spirit has higher origins than the body. This is the premise upon which the Ba'al Shem Tov's comments are based, and which even may lie behind the Torah's words above. It is not the physical act of eating which keeps us alive (although not eating would ultimately bring about death), it is soul or spirit which keeps us alive. If we ate, but had lost the will to live, the food would not sustain us.
And, so the question the Ba'al Shem raises remains: How does the soul receive nourishment? Clearly the soul needs the body's physical strength to maintain itself in the body, and that means the body must eat, but how is the soul itself sustained by that eating? His answer is that saying a blessing over food activates the spiritual force latent in the food, and it is that the sustains the soul.
My own view is slightly different. I am not sure about latent spiritual forces in food, but I am certain about latent spirituality in ourselves. Perhaps saying a blessing over food may serve to active the latent spirituality in ourselves, and it is this that sustains our souls. For our spirit itself may be said to 'issue from the mouth of God'.
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The Weight of the Law
CONTEXT: Moses continues his 'pep talk,' reminding the people that God will be with them when the cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, and urging them not to imagine that they have accomplished everything through their own efforts or innate goodness. Instead, he recalls that they have frequently rebelled against God, not least when they built the Golden Calf. Moses relates his own reaction to the Calf, and how he smashed the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his anger.
'Then I took hold of the two [tablets].'
Deuteronomy 9:17
One ought to know why it was necessary for [Moses] to take hold of them; weren't they already in his hand? But perhaps when Israel had not yet sinned [with the Golden Calf] the tablets hovered just above Moses' hand and his hand did not have to reach out to take them. And thus the previous verse is precise in saying: 'and the two tablets of the covenant were on (or, 'over' 'al) my two hands' (Deuteronomy 9:15), whereas it does not say: 'in my two hands' or 'in my hands'. On the contrary, it seems to intentionally say that they were not actually in his hand, but hovering over them and that they carried themselves. But after he saw the Calf the power of their holiness departed and he had to take hold of them.
Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743), 'Or HaHayyim (Jerusalem: A. Blum, 1994), pt.5, p.33.
COMMENT: On the surface, ibn Attar seems to be developing a tale of a minor miracle from an overly literal reading of the Biblical text, namely, that the two tablets of the covenant hovered over Moses' hands until he saw the Golden Calf. Only then did he feel their weight.
But below this surface image may lie a deeper significance. Since Paul of Tarsus, opponents of Judaism have argued that the laws of the Torah constitute a burden upon Jews. The facts are often different. Religious Jews celebrate the Torah not as a burden, but as a liberation from slavery to personal whim and desire. The image of the two tablets hovering over Moses' hands, so that he was unaware of their weight, seems an apt symbol for this.
But when we become aware of sin, both our own and of those we love and care about, the weight of the Torah may impinge itself upon our consciousness. We realise that we are not as free as we thought, and it troubles us. But the Torah also gives us a way forward, a way of liberating ourselves once again. It is called teshuvah, repentance.
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Fear of God
CONTEXT: Moses continues his reminiscences with a narrative of the making of second set of the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and a record of the ongoing journey, before resuming his theme of unswerving loyalty to God.
'And now, Israel, what does the GOD your God ask of you, but to fear GOD, to walk in all [God's] ways, and to love [God], and to serve GOD, your God with all your heart and with all your soul; to keep for your own good GOD's commandments, and statutes, which I command you today?'
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
He [Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz (1726-1791)] spoke on the verse 'what does GOD [your God] ask of you...' and he said: 'It is stated in the Talmud that "to cleave to [God]" (Deuteronomy 11:22) [means] cleave to [God's] qualities: just as [God] is merciful, [so should you be merciful...]' (cf. Sifre on this verse & Talmud, Ketubbot 11b). This [contains] the explanation of the verse 'what does GOD [your God] ask of you but to fear [GOD]', that is, of all the attributes inherent in the Holy Blessed One, [God] requires of you only fear. Even though [the term fear] doesn't really apply in the case of God, let it apply in yours.
Pinchas of Koretz (1726-1791), 'Imre Pinchas (Tel Aviv: Arnberg, 1974), §124, p.40.
COMMENT: It is not fashionable to speak of the fear of God in many religious circles nowadays. We prefer to focus on the love of God, forgetting that there must be an element of fear (or awe) in our relationship with a Being Who is clearly infinitely superior to us. Perhaps our problem is that the word 'fear' has negative connotations for us, implying punishment and other terrible things. And yet the fear of God, along side the love of God, is a classic Jewish spiritual virtue.
The Koretzer reminds us that imitating God's love, while extremely worthy and important, can only be half the story. Without the fear or awe of God we are not whole human beings, but merely do-gooders with perhaps more than a hint of hubris. And as all great spiritual teachers have taught, if we truly fear God, we will fear nothing else.
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Prayer is Divine
CONTEXT: Continuing his second speech through chapter 10, Moses outlines what the people owe God and what God has promised them.
'[God] is your praise and is your God.'
Deuteronomy 10:21
On the verse: '[God] is your praise and is your God.' The prayer that a person speaks is itself divine, for it unites all the upper attributes. But those who pray before the Holy Blessed One as if the prayer were something else are in the category of those who receive something from outside, like servants who make requests and the king commands that their wish be fulfilled. Opposite them are those for whom the prayer is itself divine – they are in the category of children [of a king] who search in the king's treasury and themselves take what they want, because they are trusted by the Holy Blessed One...
Pinchas of Koretz (1726-1791), 'Imre Pinchas (Tel Aviv: Arnberg, 1974), §123, p.40.
COMMENT: The phrase '[God] is your praise,' clearly means that God should be the object of our praise; but Pinchas of Koretz prefers to understand the Biblical phrase in a literal fashion, and this leads him to contrast two very different approaches to prayer.
On one side he places the more 'normal' Western view of prayer as a conversation between the worshipper and God, in which the three elements (God, the worshipper and the prayer itself) are separate and distinct.
On the other hand, he posits a different, more 'Eastern' view, which he reads into his literal rendering of the text. In this view, the three elements are essentially one. This grants enormous power, and, by implication, responsibility, to the worshipper, in the Koretzer's opinion, but also reflects a more intimate connection with God.
For many post-modern people, the traditional 'Western' notions of God and prayer are outmoded. So they turn to 'Eastern' religions in search of alternatives, but in Judaism at least, the alternatives have been present for some time. As the passage from Pinchas of Koretz demonstrates, it is not necessary for Jews to look elsewhere for a doctrine of God within.
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Both Ways
CONTEXT: The same verse is discussed here as in the previous passage.
'[God] is your praise and is your God.'
Deuteronomy 10:21
This verse may be interpreted from beginning to end and from end to beginning: [God] is your praise' – insofar as you praise [God], [God] is 'your God'. 'And [God] is your God' – in accordance with the clarity of your understanding of [God] will you praise [God].
Baruch of Medzibodz (1757-1810), Butzina diNehora (Lvov(?), 1880; Jerusalem, 1970), p.12a.
COMMENT: This teaching attributed to the Ba'al Shem Tov's grandson is based on an ancient midrashic technique of interpreting the same phrase in two alternative ways, forwards and backwards. But though this may seem like a preacher's trick, there is a serious point being made here.
According to Rabbi Baruch, reading this phrase in the order it appears in the Torah puts gratitude to God for all that one has received as a primary religious impulse, from which flows an appreciation of God in the wider context of Jewish history or nature. Or, in other words, the emotional and personal approach precedes the intellectual and universal.
To read the phrase in reverse order, on the other hand, is to put the intellectual and universal first, before the emotional and personal aspects. Which is the correct way to approach God? Both are! The more one understands and appreciates what God has done in one's own life, the more one will come to realise that God's goodness flows throughout the universe and is manifest in history and nature. And the more one applies one mind to the intellectual understanding of the wider context within which God operates, the more one will learn to recognise divine activity in one's personal sphere.
The Few and the Many
CONTEXT: In his exhortation to the people, Moses sets before them two paths: they can either love God and keep God's laws, in which case God will grant them the Promised Land, or they can abandon God and suffer dire consequences.
'See (re'eh, m.s.), this day I set before you (lifneichem, m.pl.) blessing and curse...'
Deuteronomy 11:26
Many commentators have queried why [the verse] opens with the singular, re'eh, and continues with the plural, lifneichem. Consult their words. However, I do not understand what the innovation is in this matter. Wasn't the giving of the Torah equal for every person in Israel? But the 'seeing' (rei'ayon) and the meditation on it is according to [the capacity of] each individual. And so, for each person in Israel the word re'eh has a meaning according to their own level.
Moreover, one may say that there is a hint in this, that by means of that which [God] sets before the many, an individual may also 'see', as it is written, 'I live among my own people' (II Kings 4:13).
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1859), 'Ohel Torah MeHaRabbi MiKotzk (Lublin, 1909), pp.60-61.
COMMENT: The Kotzker rebbe suggests that others before him have been puzzled by the grammatical inconsistency the opening verse of this sidra... but that he is not. (Actually, this kind of inconsistency is quite common in Deuteronomy.) His solution to the problem leads him on to a consideration of the relationship between the individual and the collective.
The Torah may have been given to the collective, but each individual has a different capacity for insight and understanding, and each has something to contribute to the group's understanding. This seems to be the message of the first paragraph. But the other side of the coin, according to the second section, is that each individual may also learn from the group's insight and collective wisdom.
Thus, the Kotzker presents us with a middle course that steers between the two extremes of the individualism that characterises much of modern life and the bee-hive or ant-hill mentality of some fanatical religious groups. We need to develop our individual skills and wisdom, but without community this leads only to self-indulgence, selfishness and worse. We need companionship and community, but not at the cost of our own God-given gifts. We need open communities, where we can all be valued for who we are, where we can all give as well as receive.
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Today
CONTEXT: If Moses set the choices of life or death, blessing or curse before the Israelites 'today,' i.e. thousands of years ago, do they still apply in our time? The whole of Jewish tradition is predicated on a 'yes' answer to this question.
'See, I set before you today a blessing.'
Deuteronomy 11:26
The word 'today' is apparently superfluous. But it is known that the Holy Blessed One 'out of divine goodness, continually renews the work of Creation every day' [quoting from the morning service] – i.e. God – may God be blessed – gives new illumination and sends out new kindnesses each day. Hence, a person who serves God – may the divine name be blessed – receives illumination and new insight each day, something one had not known the day before. Hence it is written: 'See, I set before you today...', in accordance with what our sages of blessed memory have said: '"Today" – Let every day seem to you as if it were new' [cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 26:16]. That is, each day you will receive a blessing and new kindness.
Levi Isaac of Berditchev (1740-1809), Qedushat Levi HaShalem (Munkacs, 1829), p.88d.
COMMENT: For those, like Levi Isaac of Berditchev, seeking up-to-date meaning from the Torah, rather than dry historical facts, the word 'Today' is a gift. The word 'today' in this passage indicates a statement that is not just about a situation that pertained in Moses' day, when he was speaking the words of Deuteronomy, but which pertains every day. In that case, what is the daily relevance of this phrase which the rabbi of Berditchev has singled out?
The answer is that the blessing referred to was not simply about those far-off historical circumstances of a former slave people grown strong in the wilderness. Divine blessing applies to each of us every day. Each day those who serve God with awareness are granted gifts from God. Would that we could all become aware of them!
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Testing Times
CONTEXT: Deuteronomy 13 is concerned with issues of idolatry and those who may lead others into idolatry. How can one tell whether a prophet is authentic or not? What is to be done with one who entices others to serve other gods? What should you do if the seducer is a relative? Or if an entire city turns to idolatry?
(In some Bibles, the verse numbers in this chapter may be different from the Hebrew Bible. In tthose editions, the following verse is verse 5.)
'...For GOD your God is testing you...'
Deuteronomy 13:4
For this world is a world of testing. The soul is sent here to be tested in this world...
Israel ben Eliezer, Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-1760), Keter Shem Tov (Brooklyn: Kehot Publication Society, 1972), §348, p.51a.
COMMENT: In Deuteronomy, this phrase above forms part of Moses' warning against listening to false prophets. Such prophets were to be seen as a test of the people's loyalty and devotion.
For the Ba'al Shem Tov, the phrase, lifted out of its original context in a discussion about the relationship between divine foreknowledge and the divine will, offers a way of understanding life. It is now seen as a series of God-given challenges, obstacles to be overcome. The problems we each face in life (and no one's life is free of problems) now have meaning (even if that meaning is not immediately apparent to us).
The question, though, is what is the goal of all this testing? Some would say it is to assign us a place in the next world, others that it is to determine how we should return to this world, and still others would say that it is to refine and spiritualise our coarse nature that we may be more worthy creatures of God. I try not to be too specific about the next world, and I believe that Judaism, which offers many quite different views about the after-life, is effectively telling us that the answer to the question of what lies beyond death is ultimately for God alone.
Accordingly, my own preference is to see life's challenges as opportunities to refine ourselves, to become better, more caring, more spiritual people. Because at each and every moment, we are being tested by our Divine Parent.
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Giving Without Mercy
CONTEXT: Chapter 15 deals with the duty of looking after members of the community who are immersed in poverty. The seventh year is an occasion for the forgiveness of debts, but this should not be used as an excuse not to lend to the poor in the sixth year. Even though the money owed to you will be written off in the seventh year, you must not refuse to give on that account.
'You shall surely give it to him, and your heart shall not be wicked when you give him, for it is through this thing that GOD your God will bless you.'
Deuteronomy 15:10
In a certain town there was an extremely poor man. Our holy rabbi gave him an appropriate gift, but when he went to depart, he gave him another appropriate gift. The poor man asked our rabbi: 'Why has our rabbi given me twice?' Our rabbi replied: 'Because the first time I gave you out of the mercy that is engraved within the hearts of our brethren the descendants of Israel, for whoever is stingy is [said to be] of the 'mixed multitude', whereas now, I am giving you in fulfilment of the command of the Blessed God. And this is the meaning of the verse: 'and your heart shall not be wicked when you give him', for it is not from the wickedness of your heart, [but rather] from the mercy that is engraved within you that you should give. For whenever there is mercy in your heart towards the poor recipient, and you are giving to the poor person because of the teaching of mercy, you have not fulfilled the commandment of charity (tzedakah). So, give him, and then go back and give him again, for then you will have no mercy in your heart for him, so you can go back and give him again [to fulfil] the word of the Blessed God, 'for it is through this thing that GOD your God will bless you.'
told of Simchah Bunam of Pshische (1765-1827) in Ramataim Tzofim, quoted in Midrash Simchah (Jerusalem: Mossad HaRYM Levin, 1988), v.I, p.173.
COMMENT: Most of us think of giving charity as something one does out of the goodness of one's heart, and of course, there is nothing really wrong with giving to charity because we are moved to do so. It is good that we can be open to the needs of others, but the problem with this approach to charitable giving is that it is dependent on our emotional state. Our emotions are, however, variable and transitory. What happens if a need presents itself to us at a time when our emotions do not allow us to see or hear it? Perhaps we will not give.
In Jewish tradition, the most common word for charity is tzedakah, which in its Biblical context originally meant 'righteousness'. The suggestion then is that charity is not something we give because we feel like it; it is something we give because it is right, because we have an obligation to give and the needy have a right to receive from us.
This tale and biblical interpretation by Rabbi Simchah Bunam of Pshische suggests that not only are both of these approaches to giving valid, but that we should utilize both. When we give to others in need, we should feel that we are fulfilling an obligation, and at the same time, we should be opening our hearts to respond to their need. Both the intellect and the emotions need to be engaged when we seek to help others. Both are necessary if we are to serve God with our full devotion.
Judgment Within
CONTEXT: Though most of Deuteronomy 16 is concerned with laws of the festivals, in verse 18 (the opening verse of Shoftim) the subject shifts to the duty to set up a justice system. Impartiality is to be the hallmark of Israelite justice.
'Judges and officers [shall you appoint for yourself in all your gates]....'
Deuteronomy 16:18
It seems that we should interpret along the lines of what appears in the Gemara: 'The righteous – the inclination towards good judges them; [...the wicked – the inclination towards evil judges them...; and those in between – both judge them]' (Talmud, Berachot 61b). One ought to say that the meaning is that it is the way of the righteous that they have within themselves a castigator who castigates them over all the deeds they do, who castigates them directly ('to their faces'), and shows them how even in their good deeds they are lacking and that they have not performed them correctly as is appropriate to do for the exalted Creator. Hence, 'the inclination towards good judges them.'
But this is not so with regard to the wicked. The opposite is the case: All their deeds seem good to them, and the inclination towards evil shows them that even when they have acted badly they have done well. Hence, 'the inclination towards evil judges them.'
[Now,] as the Tanna' said: 'People like us are in between' (Talmud, Berachot 61b), that is, that people should take hold of both of these ways: chastise themselves inwardly all the time over their deeds, so that it should always be before their eyes that they are lacking in the service of the blessed GOD and have not fulfilled their obligation. While doing any of the commandments of GOD, they should understand, ponder well, and consider that they have not done all that is necessary with clarity and merit, as is appropriate for the exalted GOD. They should be lowly and despised in their own eyes, but not think of themselves as wicked – God forbid – as [our sages] of blessed memory said: 'Do not consider yourself wicked' (Mishnah, Pirke 'Avot 2:13). The meaning is: If one considers oneself wicked, one will not have it in one's heart to perform any commandment, [study] Torah or [engage in] prayer, or any other proper and upright activity, for one will be ashamed, saying that one is not worthy of that. Therefore, people should take hold of both of these levels simultaneously [and] have them constantly before them, as [our sages] of blessed memory said: '"With all your heart (leVaVcha)" (Deuteronomy 6:5) [means] with both of your inclinations' (Mishnah, Berachot 9:5).
Hence, 'people like us are in between' and the 'in-between' are judged by both. Hence [the verse]: 'Judges and officers shall you appoint for yourself' – this alludes to the two types of 'judges' mentioned above, that is, the inclination towards good and the inclination towards evil. Scripture designates the inclination towards good by the word 'officers', for it is like an officer that rules over the people so that they do not do wrong. Similarly, the inclination towards good chastises and reproves people with the 'rod of its tongue' and shows them how they are lacking in the service [of God].
Elimelech of Lyzhansk (1717-1787), No'am 'Elimelech (ed. Gedalyah Nigal) (Jerusalem: Mossad HaRav Kook, 1978), v.2, p.503.
COMMENT: The verse on which R. Elimelech bases his comments is clearly about how ancient Israelite society was to enforce its social and moral norms. There were meant to be two arms of enforcement, the judges and the officers ('policemen' in modern Hebrew). In Elimelech's day, these types still existed within autonomous Jewish communities, but his interest is not in external enforcement, but in internal enforcement. Specifically, he sees this verse as offering insight into how we are to assess our moral standing before God.
Starting with a Talmudic text, he suggests that the truly righteous never feel that they have done enough, while the truly wicked are always self-satisfied. Everyone else, however, has to find a balance between these two opposites. On the one hand, it is necessary that we learn to be critical of ourselves and our accomplishments, so that we can learn and continue to advance morally. On the other hand, but to be totally self-critical may be counter-productive or even self-destructive for most of us. Therefore, we need to balance this with a true appreciation of our self-worth.
Elimelech finds reference to the critical aspect in the term 'judges' and the appreciative aspect in the word 'officers'. We need both aspects in order to avoid the twin dangers of self-deprecation and inaction on one side, and self-satisfaction and arrogance on the other.
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Raising Love and Fear to God
CONTEXT: Verses 9-14 of Deuteronomy 18 are aimed at discouraging the acceptance of Canaanite religious practices; in particular, divination and sorcery and other occult rites. Instead, we are to be loyal ('perfect') to God.
['Perfect (Tamim) shall you be with GOD your God' ]
Deuteronomy 18:13
The external fear that comes over people [does so] in order to awaken them to the fear of God. A parable: What is this like? Like a warrior sent by the king to call a certain person. [The one who has been summoned] is very fretful and afraid, solely because the agent may go immediately to the king to appease him.
Similarly, the external love that comes over people [does so] in order to awaken them to the love of GOD. A parable: What is this like? Sometimes a person is sent by the king to another on a mission of love, but someone who is ignorant enjoys and plays with agent, while the wise person say: What is playing with the agent to me? I will go to the root of the love of the king.
Hence the text: 'Perfect shall you be with GOD your God' – the tav [of Tamim, 'perfect'] is [sometimes written] large [in Torah scrolls]. So, despite the fact that [in alphabetical order] the [letter] tav is far from [the letter] 'alef, [this] alludes to [the need] to raise everything that is far, whether love or fear or joy or physical pleasure, to the Ruler ('aluf) of the universe...
Israel ben Eliezer, Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-1760), Keter Shem Tov (Brooklyn: Kehot Publication Society, 1972), pt.1, §207, p.26b.
COMMENT: With the words of Deuteronomy 18:13, our Torah exhorts us to strive for perfection in the service of God. The Ba'al Shem Tov builds his discourse on the premise that the primary inner components of such service are the love and fear/awe of God. Without these components, our service is purely mechanical; with them, it comes alive.
Now, both love and fear are emotions that we can experience in 'ordinary' life, while God may seem remote and abstract, so what is the relationship between these 'ordinary' emotions and those same emotions when applied to God? For the Besht, 'external' fear, e.g. the fear of the king's power, should be understood as a pointer or example of the way we should fear God. So, if the king's agent comes to summon a person, that person should perceive that it is not the agent himself who wields the power and is to be feared, but the king. Similarly, rather than fear others, or ill health, or the threat of war or terrorism, we should fear only God, the Author of all power.
So, also with love. The Ba'al Shem Tov suggests that rather than be satisfied with the transient objects of love, we should turn to the Source of all love.
And if we can love and fear God fully, instead of being distracted by other, transient fears and loves, we shall be perfect in our service of the divine.
How is this indicated in the verse with which we began? The Besht says, in the large tav of Tamim. If the first letter of the alphabet, 'alef, indicates God, then the last letter, tav, would seem to be furthest from God. Yet it too, like our basest loves and fears, can be brought nearer to perfection.
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Making God Real
CONTEXT: Much of this chapter is concerned with the land. The first 13 verses present the laws of the Levitical cities where those who kill inadvertently may flee to safety. Verse 14 continues the theme of land with the injunction not to move boundary markers.
'You shall not remove your neighbour's/friend's boundary marker, which ancient ones set up, in your inheritance which you shall have in the land which GOD your God gives to you.'
Deuteronomy 19:14
One may interpret this in an allegorical way, for it is known that the ancient patriarchs drew the Shechinah down, as it were, to earth, because they drew down and exalted [God's] divinity in the world. Afterwards, the sins of the [succeeding] generation came and drove the Shechinah upwards, along the lines [of the verse]: 'Be high over the heavens, O God' (Psalm 57:12). For example, Abraham at the beginning: His quality was that of loving kindness (hesed) and the love of the blessed God. He publicized [God's] divinity and the Shechinah, as it were, descended to the earth, for he had opened the eyes of all and revealed that [God's] glory fills the universe. Later, due to the sins of the generation, the Shechinah was removed to the firmament, i.e. a contraction (tzimtzum) occurred, as it were, in the Blessed One's greatness, so that [the divine] was neither seen nor revealed to anyone's eyes.
Then Isaac came and dug those wells that the Philistines had stopped up, and [thus] made the light of the Holy Blessed One shine. But afterwards, the Philistines stopped them up a second time, until Jacob came. This is alluded to here [as a] 'moral lesson' (Proverbs 1:3). The Shechinah is called a 'boundary marker', because it is the end of all [lower] levels. And 'your neighbour/friend' means the Blessed Holy One, as it is said: 'Do not forsake your friend or your father's friend' (Proverbs 27:10; cf. Shemot Rabbah 27:1). Hence it says: 'Do not remove your neighbour's/friend's boundary marker' meaning, Through your deeds, do not cause the Shechinah to ascend – God forbid! The Shechinah is called 'your neighbour's/friend's boundary marker', meaning, the Holy Blessed One's, along the lines [of the verse]: 'Be high over the heavens, O God' (Psalm 57:12).
'Which ancient ones set up in your inheritance which you shall have' i.e. for the ancient ones made the presence of the glory of God appear in the land. 'Inheritance' (nachalah) is a word meaning 'drawing down', as in nachal, a stream. Hence [an inheritance] is called a 'stream' because it lasts from generation to generation, like a flowing rushing stream. So they too draw down the presence of [God's] glory into the lower [worlds].
'In the land which GOD your God gives to you' – i.e. along the lines [of the verse]: 'In every place where I cause My name to dwell...' (Exodus 20:21) which the Targum translates as: 'In every place where My Shechinah dwells' 'there will I come to you and bless you' (Exodus 20:21). And the enlightened person will understand.
Moses Hayyim Ephraim of Sudlykov (d.1800), Degel Mahane Ephraim (Jerusalem, 1963), pp.248-249.
COMMENT: The premise that underlies the Sudlykover's allegorical interpretation of this Torah verse is the ancient notion that the righteous make God's presence manifest on earth. (A religious philosopher might posit that God is always present throughout the universe, but the Sudlykover is discussing the recognition of that presence in human society.) Conversely, the sins of society may make that divine presence less 'visible'.
Moses Hayyim Ephraim's identification of 'your neighbour/friend' with the transcendent God and the 'boundary marker' with the Shechinah, the immanence of God, allows him the opportunity to read the verse as an injunction against behaving in any way that will make the divine presence less manifest. (The Shechinah, in its kabbalistic guise as the sefirah Malchut, forms the boundary between the upper, spiritual realms, and the lower, physical realms.) Our behaviour has a direct bearing on whether others will perceive God's activity in this world. If we behave well, with due respect for others, people will see that our faith is real, that God's presence is real for us. And the converse is also true: If we are seen to behave in ways that are contrary to our highest ideals, our faith would be brought into disrepute. This is not just a matter of good or bad publicity for Jews and Judaism; our behaviour has a direct spiritual impact in the world.
But the Sudlykover is not finished. For him, this ability to make the divine presence manifest in this world is something that has been passed on to us from the patriarchs, flowing through us as it did through them. And his interpretation of the final phrase, suggest that we can make God manifest anywhere and everywhere, in Israel or in the Diaspora, in our synagogues, in our homes and in our work places.
The War against Evil
CONTEXT: This fifth book of the Torah presents us with what are probably the first attempts to set legal limits to warfare. Here the concern is to avoid the rape of any woman that may be captured in war. If a soldier fancies a captive woman, he may marry her, but only after she has had a suitable period to mourn her dead, and then, should his ardour cool, he may not divorce her. The opening verse sets the scene for the rule that follows.
'When you go to war against your enemies, and GOD your God delivers them into your power...'
Deuteronomy 21:10
...Even though the plain meaning of the parashah speaks of actual war, nevertheless, it also hints at the war a person wages against inclination [towards evil]...for in truth, this is a greater war, as we are told in the books [of certain unnamed commentators]: Once a certain Pharisee came upon a camp of Alexander [the Great's] soldiers who had returned happy because they had conquered a great city. He said that in resting from a small war, they were preparing for a great war, the war with the inclination towards evil (yetzer hara'). This is why our rabbis, of blessed memory, said that the Torah is only speaking of [the war] against the evil inclination (Talmud Kiddushin 21b).... In this same vein, they also say that 'When you go to war' [refers to] a permissible war (milchemet reshut, as opposed to an obligatory war, milchemet mitzvah; Sifre, §211)...since people are given permission, and the choice is in their hands. And if people begin the war [against the inclination towards evil], the Holy, Blessed One, helps them, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said in [Talmud] Berachot (actually Kiddushin 30b & Bava Batra 75a). If the Holy Blessed One were not to help them, they would not be able to do it. Hence it says: 'And GOD your God delivers them into your power.'
Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz (c.1570-1626), Shnei Luchot HaBrit (Jerusalem: 1975; reprint of 1863 ed.), v.2, p. 89b.
COMMENT: The verse upon which Isaiah Horowitz comments is a prelude to the laws governing soldiers who see captive women they desire. The Torah permits such sexual relationships, but only within the confines of marriage! The soldier must take the woman into his home, allow her a month to mourn her family, and only then may he marry her. And should he no longer desire her, he may not sell her as a common slave. Clearly, the law is designed to be a curb to rape in the heat or aftermath of battle.
Horowitz' comments are based on Talmudic teaching. The war alluded to in the text is not simply actual warfare, but the much deeper war that occurs within (nearly) every individual, the war against the inclination towards evil. Bravery and the achievement of victory in actual warfare is, in one sense, a minor skirmish compared to the victory in the internal struggle. (As Ben Zoma says (Pirke 'Avot 4:1) 'Who is mighty? One who conquers their inclination'. )
This war, in Horow