Category: Torah Thoughts on the weekly portion

Parshat Ha’azinu – Shabbat Shuva (Return!) September 25, 2009

Moshe Rabbeinu signs, seals and delivers G-d’s message to Am Yisrael: Give ear, oh you heavens and I will speak- hear oh earth, the words of my mouth”. With this, he comes to a finish as he is about to exit from the long drama of the exodus. “For tomorrow, I die”, he tells the masses. He is telling them that no mortal is immortal, but the heavens and earth, who never die, bare witness to the warnings he delivers. Most of this parsha is a song, conveyed through a prophecy about Israel’s relationship with G-d and the blessings they can receive if they listen: “The grapevine will give forth its fruit and the Land its produce.” However, if they do not listen, the forewarning states that the witnesses themselves (the heavens which supply the abundant rain and dew and the earth which blossoms and gives forth sustenance) will execute judgment: “And the Land will not give its yield …”

The heavens and earth, we know are represented by the masculine attributes-(the one that influences) and the feminine attributes (the one that receives). This is the motion of the world, the give and take relationship, that represent too the spiritual and physical realms- like the body and the soul. It is the clock of the world ticking, turning, and bringing always new life. What Moshe Rabbeinu is telling us in his final words is that man keeping the Torah is the mechanism that “runs this machine”. The torah is timeless and was created specifically for the purpose of connecting these 2 spheres in order to maintain the cycles of life and the rejuvenation of blessing to the world.

It is not coincidence that our parsha’s theme is all about what was what is and what will be, as we too come to a full circle as the book of Life is sealed on Yom Kippur. It is precisely at this time that we retrospect, “How was I with so and so…” It is a time to introspect, “How am I with Hashem? How am I with myself?” We pray that “My wisdom will drip down like rain” as we rededicate ourselves to a New Year of being the kli (the vessel) that connects Heaven to Earth in doing more mitzvoth, in thinking better thoughts, and in seeing Glory even when it is not obvious. Let me take this opportunity to bless you with a Shana Tova U’metukah, G’mar Chatimah Tova. We are all witness to the Land giving her fruit, be’ayin tova– a coming to fruition of the blessings promised after 2,000 years of desolation and waste when no people could live here on this Land. A full circle of fate has turned too as we, Am Yisrael return to the beginning, where it all started- in the Land of Israel. Let us rise above the nations of the world that say Israel is not for Israel and show the world the truth. Let these very mountains and this Land be our voice and proclaim His name as one.

Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith

Parshat Nitzavim September 11, 2009

“You stand upright this day, all of you before the Lord…” (D’varim 29 9:10)

There are times to sit, times to run and times to stand. We remember Abraham running to serve his guests. “and Abraham hastened into the tent.” (Vayera 18:6,7) “and Abraham ran to the herd.” We imagine Rachel as she had taken her father’s images and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat upon them. Solomon “sits upon the throne.” (Kings 1:46) And in this week’s parsha, Am Yisrael stand- still to receive Hashem’s word. These three motions of sitting, running and standing parallel the 3 spheres of time- then(past tense) (sitting and contemplating) when(future tense) (running to do something) and now (present) (standing in Da’at). Da’at, or yishuv da’at is translated as “peace of mind”, or in Kabbalah- knowing. It is experiencing the moment as it is- the precise moment, without dwelling on another time.

Da’at is placed in the middle brain, situated between Chochmah and Binah, representing the “connector” between mentalities and attributes. Harav Areyeh Kaplan brings down in his book “Inner Space” that Da’at generally refers to the intimate connection between Adam and Eve as in “and Adam knew (from the word yada- based on da’at) his wife. When Am Yisrael were standing (in Da’at) they were now able to see the Godly moment as it says in the verse, “See, I have set before you life…”(D’varim 30:15) When a person can see, he can choose life. (When a person is running to do something he can’t see. When he is contemplating on what was, he isn’t seeing either) When a person reaches the balance of seeing and knowing(Da’at) he reaches the level of perceiving that all of G-d’s attributes, as contradictory as they may seem, are all one, then (s)he can also realize that time can stand still too. This is what marriage is all about. Husband and wife with their different personalities combine to make one soul. This is what knowing is all about!

With this picture in mind, we turn to the haftara in Isaiah 61-63. “I will rejoice with the Lord… for He has attired me in garments of salvation.. like a bride and like a bridegroom.” (standing and seeing) and “On your walls, Oh Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen, all day and all night (the guards are standing and seeing). The mental image of Am Yisrael standing on Har Gerizzim and Har Eval as the canopy of their marriage to Hashem as they entered the Land is realized as we come to understand what standing, seeing and knowing mean. The standing in this parsha that we read thousands of years later relates to all the realms of time. The warnings come along with the promises for the future redemption of Israel in her rightful Land- “Hashem will return your captivity and have compassion on you and will return and gather you from all the nations of the world whom G-d has scattered you…”

Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith

Parshat Ki Tavo September 3, 2009

“V’haya Ki Tavo el Ha’aretz” – “When you come into the Land”.(Dvarim 26:1)

Being that this parsha falls on the birth date of the Holy Baal Shem Tov, the father of Chassidut, and of the Alter Rebbe, I want to open a window to a Chassidic teaching pertaining to the above passuk. It is likened to when a soul descends from it’s heavenly source ‘into the land’- into this physical world to fulfill it’s purpose.

Am Yisrael was delivered from Egypt and wandered the domain of the empty desert where nothing was accessible and nothing was needed. They nursed Divine inspiration for 40 years. They did not have to eat, change their clothes or worry about a thing. Finally they reached their destination. Their guide and leader did not continue on with them, the manna stopped falling and a new realm of their identity unfolded as they entered the gates of the Land of Israel through the mountains of Har Gerizzim and Har Eval. Here they faced the call to choose between the blessing and the curse. They walked 60 kilometers from the Jordan to these mountains, to the Land of Shechem, a place their forefathers had purchased at the dawn of Judaism. Here was the first “station” of being inaugurated for the 1st Patriarch, Abraham. Here is the parcel of land Jacob bought as he first entered the land with his family after 22 years in the house of Lavan. Here, as they come to receive the torah in Israel, Am Yisrael now put to a final rest, Yosef Hatzaddik in the land that he was sold by his brothers. Am Yisrael are positioned on the 2 scales of Gerizzim and Eval and the blessings and curses are read. Now it was time to actualize G-d’s plan for them. This was the very special day they were motivated to so accordingly.

Blessings and curses in essence we bring upon ourselves. There is free choice and there are mitzvoth to do. It does not contradict. We can be blessed if we acknowledge the vitality in our lives, to know and understand what make us tick. We can also be prevented from being cursed if we just check to see how the word meaningful measures into the pitcher we pour and drink from each day. When we read Ki Tavo we think to ourselves, “Who am I, What am I, What am I doing, Am I REALLY alive? There is no greater curse than to be alive and not feel it. This parsha is positioned precisely at the time we need to hear it, close to the Day of Judgment and the beginning of a new cycle in our lives as we approach the New Year. It is clearly a time to ask, “Have I fulfilled my purpose and how have I enriched the world?”

Dear Readers, It goes without saying that facing these very mountains written about in our parsha, and seeing them every day for the last 24 years while most people only read about them- has been a tremendous G-d given gift. Yes, today we have reached this point again as we enter the Land and try to settle it. It is spoken about with many many husks, doubts, confusion, and strife, even as if it belonged to someone else (G-d forbid!). It is in fact none of the above. It is the primordial covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. May the Torah prove to all the world that we cannot ever run from the truth. May all the people who hold Israel dear – raise the banner of Har Gerizzim and Har Eval – they have chosen to be blessed!!

Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith

Parshat Re’eh August 13, 2009

When a person wants to validate his identity, he delves deep into his roots, verifies the provable facts; he can even check his genealogy and examine the origins that manifested into what he is. Parshat Re’eh is the historical substantiation of Israel as a nation in the Land of Israel. After passing through the Jordan and reaching on that day to the holy site of the Mountains of Gerizzim and Eval, a clarification was made to all of Am Yisrael- Devarim: 27:9 “This day you become a nation to the Lord your G-d”. After the long journey of 40 years in the desert, with it’s fiery ordeals there were those that begged to turn back to Egypt, thinking of Egypt as a home (and conveniently forgetting their servitude there), – Numbers 14:4 “and we will return to Egypt”. Those people believed that their roots and original identities were in Egypt, in the cozy way many of feel about Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin or any other galut city Jews grew to know and love. They knew well that their founding fathers came from the Land of Israel but conceived them as being isolated tribes from that place.

On the day they entered the Land, in our parsha, the passuk emphasizes “This day you have become a nation”. Even on Har Sinai, at the time of the giving of the torah, Hashem said: “Vehayeetem li segulah mekol haamim”, in the time frame of the future tense, “and you WILL BE a chosen nation”- when you come into the Land, because there is no nation without a land. There is no Israel without the word of G-d. This had to happen first (the giving of the Torah), then the covenant on the two mountains later. But they were not entering a new land, they were not conquering a new patrimony: They were returning to their original roots, to the same land that the forefathers received Divine revelation, to the same land where the founding fathers, the roots of the identity of all of Israel as a people remained forever.

And now that we have returned to the Land in these truly redemptive times, what is more expedient, suiting the occasion of Israel in her restored glory, than returning to her original home in the Land of Har Gerizzim and Eval in the Land of Shechem, the Land of Abraham, Jacob and Yosef, where the sons return to the fathers and confirm the Divine domain in and for all of Israel.

Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith

Parashat Ki Tavo  Thursday, August 30, 2007

Last week’s parasha, Ki Tetzeh, ends with the mitzvah of remembering what Amalek did to us when we left Egypt. This weeks parasha, Ki Tavo, begins with the mitzvah of bringing bicurim, the first fruits to the temple. The order of the Torah is very precise; therefore it is appropriate to explain the connection between remembering Amalek and the mitzvah of the first fruits. 

We should begin by understanding who Amalek is.  The first reference to Amalek in the Torah appears in Berashit (14, verse 7) in which a connection is made between Amalek and the word sadeh, which is used in an unusual context (in the war of the four kings against the five kings), and rendered in most English translations as “territory.”  The word sadeh, associated with Esav, the grandfather of Amalek, and meaning  field or open expanse stands out in this verse.  The Torah describes the character of Esav as “a man of the field.” The Torah makes a clear distinction between Jacob, who is a man of the hearth, and Esau, on the other hand, who is a man of the outdoors.  Ideally, there should be harmony between house, representing spiritual development and field, which represents physical existence.  Yitzchak’s idea of a perfect world is one in which Esav and Yakov can live in harmony.  Knowing Esav’s character, which is drawn to the outdoors, Yitzchak hoped that Esav would contribute positively to the good of society by assuming the role of provider, while Jacob pursued his interest in spreading spirituality in the world.  However, particularly after Eisav’s cavalier disregard of his birthright, Rifka foresees that Esav’s direction is toward’s destruction–Amalek would be among his offspring.  So, she has Yakov don the garments of Esav and receive the blessing of the field as well as the one orginally intended for him. 

Thus,Yakov must combine both the spiritual and the physical realms.  Indeed, the function of the Jewish people, Israel, (another name for Yakov), is to teach, through example, the nations of the world that it is possible to sanctify the physical realm (the field).    

The major obstacle in achieving this goal is Amalek. Instead of allowing the nations of the world to rectify themselves by following the light of the Jewish nation, he shouts, Follow me!   His philosophy is clearly outlined in Esav’s words, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what [use] then is the birthright to me(Genesis 25:32)?”  In other words, there’s nothing beyond this physical world and therefore it doesn’t pay to do anything for anyone else but yourself.   Esav can only think of the benefit of the birthright, not the responsibilities. This egotistic philosophy is the source of world corruption. The birthright represents responsibility, caring for others, and continuing the path laid down by our fathers.

In parashat Balak, Numbers, 24:20,  Balaam recites: “Amalek was first among the nations, but in the end it will be destroyed.”  The “first among nations” is the same expression that is used for the Jewish nation. (In Jeremiah 2:3 Israel is “G-d’s hallowed portion, His first-fruits…”)  Amalek is called first of nations because he wants to lead the world in the opposite direction of the goals of the Jewish people. It is interesting that the mother of Amalek is Timna – meaning to prevent, and his father is Elifaz, meaning, my strength is in gold.  By putting his strength in idols of gold  he wants to prevent the Divine light from shining.  By trying to prevent Am Yisrael from reaching Eretz Yisrael, he hopes to discredit the philosophy that the spiritual and physical realms can be combined. 

It is not a coincidence that this week’s Parashat Tavo comes right after the portion of Amalek.  Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits of the field to the Temple, demonstrating that rather than use the first produce for our own personal benefit, we consecrate it for the use of the priests in the Temple. 

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar

Parashat Devarim Thursday, July 19, 2007

Since we’re approaching Tisha B’av, this week’s Torah thought is centered on the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash.  In order to merit its rebuilding, we must examine the causes that led to its fall and try to rectify them.

The following story is brought down in the Talmud (tractate Gitin, p.56A) about Martha, the daughter of Bytos, one of the wealthiest women of Jerusalem during the time of the destruction:  Martha sends one of her servants to the market to buy fine flour. When he gets there he finds that all the fine flour has been sold out. He comes back and tells her that the fine flour has been sold out, but that there’s regular white bread. She sends him for the regular white bread. When he gets to the market, however, the regular white bread is also sold out. He returns and tells her that all the white bread has been sold out, but there’s black bread. She sends him for the black bread, but that’s sold out too. He returns and tells her that there’s no more black bread, but there is barley flour. She tells him to go bring her some. However, by the time he reaches the market that too is sold out. She then takes off her shoes and goes outside to see if she can find anything to eat. In the street she steps on animal dung and subsequently dies.  Some say that she died after eating a cast-off fig of Rabbi Tzadok, who fasted 40 years in order to prevent the destruction of Jerusalem. (He would suck the juice from a dried fig to sustain himself and cast the fig away.)

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachkai brings down a verse from the book of Devarim (which describes the calamities that will, G-d forbid, befall the Jewish people if they defy the word of Hashem) and relates Martha to the “tender and delicate women …who [in better times] would not attempt to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her fastidiousness and fragility.” (Chapter 28 verse 56)  Sadly, before Martha’s death, she tosses all her gold and silver into the street, declaring that her riches are useless to her.

A spoiled and self-centered Jewish princess, Martha has been accustomed to getting everything she wants, with no care for anyone around her.  The Talmud ironically calls her “Martha, among the wealthy women of Jerusalem,” when she is really so cut off from Jerusalem spiritually. We can assume that her servant suggested the idea of buying whatever bread remained in the market, but was clearly expected to report to her each time.  It must have been terribly difficult for Martha–used to a high standard of living, and having all her wishes answered on demand–having to accept a new reality every time the servant returns with the latest news. When Martha learns that, with all her riches, she cannot even buy barley flour, her entire belief system–that money can buy anything–collapses.  For years insulated from reality, Martha must now leave her incubator or die of starvation. Before she leaves her home she removes her shoes because she’s afraid of soiling them while walking the streets of Jerusalem.

The removal of her shoes has the effect of grounding her for the first time in her life; she finally steps down and makes contact with the real world. Yet walking barefoot, she steps on animal dung.  Could anyone get any lower, she must have felt.  For all her riches she was no better than a soiled and starving beggar!  Perhaps in her last moments she realized how far she had removed herself from Jerusalem and failed to prevent its destruction.  Perhaps she realized that her life had been wasted in self-indulgence and fleeting pleasures.

Clearly the Talmud wants us to learn–from the negative example of a class of Jews that were well-off, yet isolated themselves from the masses, a class of Jews who chose a comfortable life for themselves, yet didn’t want to know about the misfortune of others–how NOT to be.

Rabbi Tzadok, on the other hand, is entirely devoted to Jerusalem and Am Yisrael. For 40 years he starves himself in order to try and prevent the destruction of Jerusalem. Only one thing interests him–to save the nation of Israel from exile. Martha’s meeting with Rabbi Tzadok’s dry fig is too overwhelming for her. The holiness of the fig makes her realize that she has been living a life of dung. The realization that true sustenance comes from the sacrifices of great men like Rabbi Tzadok–not from the empty “riches” she has selfishly hoarded and trusted in all her life–is what kills her.

This is a powerful lesson for everyone. It’s too easy to get our priorities all mixed up. Rabbi Tzaddok’s struggle is against the Marthian philosophy of self centeredness, which he sees as a major reason for the destruction of the Temple–a reason that can only be rectified by reaching out to our fellows in dire straits and trying to put the goals of the Jewish people before some of our personal needs.

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar