Sunday, August 12, 2018
Parsha Re'ei
Parsha Re'ei (Deut.11:26-16:17) starts with Torah urging us to open our eyes and really SEE (Re'ei) the available blessings of a life of mitzvas, and the downside of the curse if we choose to go down the path of going AGAINST Torah.
The end of the parsha uses an interesting usage of the same root ר-א (re'eh, to see), stating ''Do not be SEEN (do not 'appear') before Hashem ''reikom'', empty handed.
Judaism is unique in assigning human being a specific task in this world, to be an active ''GUARDIAN of the garden'', a contributing member of our relationship with Hashem, not merely a docile servant, but a PARTNER.
It is sobering and ennobling how much Hashem TRUSTS us. He has entrusted us with being stewards of this world, and we, while given GUIDANCE, are given FREEDOM to act according to our intellect and our CONSCIENCE.
Hence the parsha ends with a warning: use your ability to SEE, and remember how you will be SEEN by G-od at the of your journey. How will you APPEAR before G-od when you return to Him? Do not arrive empty-handed of the achievements you were capable of fulfilling!
(This might be a good time to remember the halachic principle of ''maarat ayen'', the prohibition of presenting a potentially deceiving or misleading APPEARANCE, even while not actively engaging in anything improper.
The classic example is not partaking of kosher food in a non-kosher establishment, lest some casual viewer assumes the place serves kosher food. On the flip side, we musn't assume either.
When we see someone in seemingly compromising situation, we shouldn't jump to conclusions without knowing the context, and the full picture.
So remember, even when doing something right and righteous, be aware how it might APPEAR.
I was reminded of this principle this Friday, when trying to provide a sympathetic ear to a troubled stranger, who ASSUMED my actions in certain way and was very offended.
I failed to be aware how my actions and my words APPEAR to others.
We are living in a world of assumptions, appearances and choices. While we are responsible for our personal choices, we need to be aware how we APPEAR to others as well- how our actions, words, even casual gestures or expressions, are PERCEIVED and SEEN by others. Be careful not to hurt anyone even while doing a mitzva!
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Parsha Ekev
Parsha Ekev.
In parsha Ekev, Deut. 7:12-11:25 we are promised boundless spiritual and physical treasures for observing all mitzvahs of the Torah, if we view them as G-od's KINDNESS (hhesed) to us, not as a burden, (v. 7:12). Hence the Aramaic translation of the parsha is ''Hhalaf'', a reward.
The real translation of 'ekev' is ''heel of the foot'',עקב
(- which here is usually translated as ''because''.)
The palindrome of ''ekev'' is BEKA, בקע . which means 'valley'.
The root of the name Yaakov is also ''ekev''...
-Yaakov's birth was very significant to his name, as he was born ''grasping Esav's HEEL''!
-the way of Abraham,
-the way of Isaac,
-the way of Yaakov.
*The way of Abraham, on the spiritual plane, basically is unlimited HHESED,
boundless undifferentiated GIVING. Those who follow this way try to be uncritical of anyone, and concentrate on being a fountain, a conduit, of Hashem's blessing.
*The way of Issac is the opposite of Hhesed, which is GEVURA, strict justice, strict SEPARATION, strict HOLINESS, strict separation.
The name Isaac (Yits'hhak) means LAUGHTER. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed when they'd heard she'll have a baby in her advanced old age, and in a sense G-od Himself ''laughed'' (mocked) at the laws of nature, by allowing an elderly couple of respectively 100 and 90 y.o. to conceive and beget a child.
Yitshhak's way of serving G'od is of total disregard of material world, a way of striving for total abnegation of the physical. According to Yitshhak's way of serving G'od, we should separate ourselves from everything material as much as possible, to the degree that all material things are one big, nothing more but a joke. Yitshhak's way aims at absolute DEMARCATION / SEPARATION of/from anything physical.
*The third way, of Yaakov, aims at BALANCING the two previous approaches:
a perfect blend of HHESED and GEVURA, a conscious blending of uninhibited ALTRUISM and unmitigated ''HERMITISM''- separation from the material world.
The way of Yaakov, a synergy of accepting self abnegation WITH separation from sin, is rightly called the Derehh ha'Emet, the 'Way of Truth'.
The phrase which Torah uses to describe Yaakov is ''ish Taam'' a COMPLETE man. Complete in having in him both the necessary measure of both altruism and separatism.
When the biblical §erpent was cursed by G'od, the phrase was ''your descendants will strike her descendants' HEEL -EKEV. So we see that the eikev is a place vulnerable to spiritual damage.
When Yaakov fought the angel, the jewish sources indicate it was the patron angel of Esav, the accusing/tempting angel of Evil Inclination, formerly known as Nahhash/§erpent.
The reason Yaakov became vulnerable to the angel's attack was because he has allowed himself to 'remain alone', ''forgot his community''.
Even though Yaakov was victorious, he did not escape without any damage:
he was wounded at the area of his ''kef yerehh'' his thigh (which is the area directly connected to the heel. ''Kaf yerehh'' כפ ירך
is understood by commentators as the place of the reproductive organ made holy by the commandment of circumcision, a place of physical sanctification which has the potential to CREATE LIFE, a most awesome emulation of our Creator, the more so if done with proper holiness, as seen in Gen. 24:2, where Abaham's servant swore on Abraham's place if circumcision, also in Gen. 47:29 Yoseph swore to Yaakov on his circumsicion as well.
The word 'kef' can mean ''an extension'' or ''the OPPOSITE''. Hence our greatest weakness can be our grestest STRENGTH too.
Thus the evil angel has attacked Yaakov at the WEAKEST POINT of the
'yerehh' thigh, which is euphemism for the reproductive organ as the place of the holiness.
''Gid ha'Nashe'' can be understood as ''power of forgetfullness''. Forgetfullness is the cause of sin, but also serves as an impetus to ACT. If our faith, our emuna was 100%, we would never embark on any creative pursuits.
Yetser ha'Rah is called in Talmud ''tov me'od'' , very GOOD! bcuz when applied properly, it can spur us into action. So the trial of Yaakov's struggle with the angel was to retain the holiness of his life-giving creative force, and his power to transmit it to the future generations, as part of the community.
That's why the verse states he became vulnerable because he ''remained alone''.
In Judaism there is strength in community, in unity.
Due to Yaakov's victory, he deserved his SECOND NAME -YISRAEL,
which means ''Sar El'' , the Prince of Power. Since HaShem is the ultimate Source and Dispenser of all powers (for example G'od told Moses that He made him an ''Elohim to Pharaoh'', an ''Embassador'' representing G'od.)
By channeling the most powerful reproductive/creative energy toward G'od, Yaakov is able to overcome the angel of Esav, a new persona which represents the collective identity of all of Yaakov's future descendants.
Just as there are three AVOT, three forefathers with each their own way of relating to Hashem,
there are three ways the Evil inclination appears in Torah:
1. as nahhash in Garden of Eden
2. as angel of Esav in human form in the battle with
with Yaakov,
3. as the serpents which bit Israelites in parshas Chukkat/ the copper snake mounted on a pole.
...
1. As the serpent in Gan Eden, G'od has provided him with everything, effectively obviating any palpable need to reach out to G'od. Everything was provided for the snake, his every physical need. The way to deal with pure evil is to deny it and to be as Isaac- total separation.
2. However as an angel of Esav in human body, we see his connection with Hashem, as he was eager to be free of Yaakov to go recite SHIRA, a morning song of praise all angels recite before G'od.
So as a §erpent, the Evil Inclination is as mostly evil, and is rewarded with no dynamic contact with Hashem.
As an angel embodied in human form, the angel was eager to recite shira. Evil as incarnated in human body, needs to be DEALT with humanely. Rarely are human beings ''absolutely evil''. We need to undertand their feelings, their motives, their background.
We CANNOT separate ourselves from other humans.
We are ALL born ''grasping the heel of evil'' to a degree.
In fact, we all struggle with our OWN evil inclination.
Hence we must use Yaakov's tactics:
employ balance of ''befriending''/ facing our challenges in social interactions. In this our role model is Yosef in Egypt.
3. the only time when Abraham's way of Hhesed is to be used, is when the evil is a direct lesson from Hashem, as it was in the event when the desert snakes bit Israelites' heels.
When our sin is clear, and the message of the punishment is clear, we need to lovingly ACCEPT the chastising, by 'elevating' the lesson as a visible reminder to avoid a repeated sinning in the future, just as Moshe ''elevated'' the copper serpent to be contemplated as a cure from snakes' bites.
...
Parshas Ekev ends with the promise that if we are able to interact with our yetser ha
rah on the level of Yaakov/Yisrael, we'll be able to rule over it- it will become our greatest asset, and as the final verses of the parsha promise, every place where our heel rests, will become holy ground!
the very 'ekev' which is vulnerable to §erpent's bite, will become a tool for aquiring our yerusha, our earthly inheritance.
Ekev-Beka. Palindrome of ''heel of connection'' עקב
is בקע , valley of separation.
If we fail to use our 'gid hanashe'/ekev wisely, it'll become a dividing ''valley''.
★★★
just had a thought: maybe Yaakov wasn't ''damaged'' by Esav's angel, maybe he GAINED a ''shift'' of understanding? His ''thigh'' got ''shifted'' and he became worthy of the name Yisrael.....
In parsha Ekev, Deut. 7:12-11:25 we are promised boundless spiritual and physical treasures for observing all mitzvahs of the Torah, if we view them as G-od's KINDNESS (hhesed) to us, not as a burden, (v. 7:12). Hence the Aramaic translation of the parsha is ''Hhalaf'', a reward.
The real translation of 'ekev' is ''heel of the foot'',עקב
(- which here is usually translated as ''because''.)
The palindrome of ''ekev'' is BEKA, בקע . which means 'valley'.
The root of the name Yaakov is also ''ekev''...
-Yaakov's birth was very significant to his name, as he was born ''grasping Esav's HEEL''!
•••
There are three ways of serving G'od:-the way of Abraham,
-the way of Isaac,
-the way of Yaakov.
*The way of Abraham, on the spiritual plane, basically is unlimited HHESED,
boundless undifferentiated GIVING. Those who follow this way try to be uncritical of anyone, and concentrate on being a fountain, a conduit, of Hashem's blessing.
*The way of Issac is the opposite of Hhesed, which is GEVURA, strict justice, strict SEPARATION, strict HOLINESS, strict separation.
The name Isaac (Yits'hhak) means LAUGHTER. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed when they'd heard she'll have a baby in her advanced old age, and in a sense G-od Himself ''laughed'' (mocked) at the laws of nature, by allowing an elderly couple of respectively 100 and 90 y.o. to conceive and beget a child.
Yitshhak's way of serving G'od is of total disregard of material world, a way of striving for total abnegation of the physical. According to Yitshhak's way of serving G'od, we should separate ourselves from everything material as much as possible, to the degree that all material things are one big, nothing more but a joke. Yitshhak's way aims at absolute DEMARCATION / SEPARATION of/from anything physical.
*The third way, of Yaakov, aims at BALANCING the two previous approaches:
a perfect blend of HHESED and GEVURA, a conscious blending of uninhibited ALTRUISM and unmitigated ''HERMITISM''- separation from the material world.
The way of Yaakov, a synergy of accepting self abnegation WITH separation from sin, is rightly called the Derehh ha'Emet, the 'Way of Truth'.
The phrase which Torah uses to describe Yaakov is ''ish Taam'' a COMPLETE man. Complete in having in him both the necessary measure of both altruism and separatism.
When the biblical §erpent was cursed by G'od, the phrase was ''your descendants will strike her descendants' HEEL -EKEV. So we see that the eikev is a place vulnerable to spiritual damage.
When Yaakov fought the angel, the jewish sources indicate it was the patron angel of Esav, the accusing/tempting angel of Evil Inclination, formerly known as Nahhash/§erpent.
The reason Yaakov became vulnerable to the angel's attack was because he has allowed himself to 'remain alone', ''forgot his community''.
Even though Yaakov was victorious, he did not escape without any damage:
he was wounded at the area of his ''kef yerehh'' his thigh (which is the area directly connected to the heel. ''Kaf yerehh'' כפ ירך
is understood by commentators as the place of the reproductive organ made holy by the commandment of circumcision, a place of physical sanctification which has the potential to CREATE LIFE, a most awesome emulation of our Creator, the more so if done with proper holiness, as seen in Gen. 24:2, where Abaham's servant swore on Abraham's place if circumcision, also in Gen. 47:29 Yoseph swore to Yaakov on his circumsicion as well.
The word 'kef' can mean ''an extension'' or ''the OPPOSITE''. Hence our greatest weakness can be our grestest STRENGTH too.
Thus the evil angel has attacked Yaakov at the WEAKEST POINT of the
'yerehh' thigh, which is euphemism for the reproductive organ as the place of the holiness.
''Gid ha'Nashe'' can be understood as ''power of forgetfullness''. Forgetfullness is the cause of sin, but also serves as an impetus to ACT. If our faith, our emuna was 100%, we would never embark on any creative pursuits.
Yetser ha'Rah is called in Talmud ''tov me'od'' , very GOOD! bcuz when applied properly, it can spur us into action. So the trial of Yaakov's struggle with the angel was to retain the holiness of his life-giving creative force, and his power to transmit it to the future generations, as part of the community.
That's why the verse states he became vulnerable because he ''remained alone''.
In Judaism there is strength in community, in unity.
Due to Yaakov's victory, he deserved his SECOND NAME -YISRAEL,
which means ''Sar El'' , the Prince of Power. Since HaShem is the ultimate Source and Dispenser of all powers (for example G'od told Moses that He made him an ''Elohim to Pharaoh'', an ''Embassador'' representing G'od.)
By channeling the most powerful reproductive/creative energy toward G'od, Yaakov is able to overcome the angel of Esav, a new persona which represents the collective identity of all of Yaakov's future descendants.
Just as there are three AVOT, three forefathers with each their own way of relating to Hashem,
there are three ways the Evil inclination appears in Torah:
1. as nahhash in Garden of Eden
2. as angel of Esav in human form in the battle with
with Yaakov,
3. as the serpents which bit Israelites in parshas Chukkat/ the copper snake mounted on a pole.
...
1. As the serpent in Gan Eden, G'od has provided him with everything, effectively obviating any palpable need to reach out to G'od. Everything was provided for the snake, his every physical need. The way to deal with pure evil is to deny it and to be as Isaac- total separation.
2. However as an angel of Esav in human body, we see his connection with Hashem, as he was eager to be free of Yaakov to go recite SHIRA, a morning song of praise all angels recite before G'od.
So as a §erpent, the Evil Inclination is as mostly evil, and is rewarded with no dynamic contact with Hashem.
As an angel embodied in human form, the angel was eager to recite shira. Evil as incarnated in human body, needs to be DEALT with humanely. Rarely are human beings ''absolutely evil''. We need to undertand their feelings, their motives, their background.
We CANNOT separate ourselves from other humans.
We are ALL born ''grasping the heel of evil'' to a degree.
In fact, we all struggle with our OWN evil inclination.
Hence we must use Yaakov's tactics:
employ balance of ''befriending''/ facing our challenges in social interactions. In this our role model is Yosef in Egypt.
3. the only time when Abraham's way of Hhesed is to be used, is when the evil is a direct lesson from Hashem, as it was in the event when the desert snakes bit Israelites' heels.
When our sin is clear, and the message of the punishment is clear, we need to lovingly ACCEPT the chastising, by 'elevating' the lesson as a visible reminder to avoid a repeated sinning in the future, just as Moshe ''elevated'' the copper serpent to be contemplated as a cure from snakes' bites.
...
Parshas Ekev ends with the promise that if we are able to interact with our yetser ha
rah on the level of Yaakov/Yisrael, we'll be able to rule over it- it will become our greatest asset, and as the final verses of the parsha promise, every place where our heel rests, will become holy ground!
the very 'ekev' which is vulnerable to §erpent's bite, will become a tool for aquiring our yerusha, our earthly inheritance.
Ekev-Beka. Palindrome of ''heel of connection'' עקב
is בקע , valley of separation.
If we fail to use our 'gid hanashe'/ekev wisely, it'll become a dividing ''valley''.
★★★
just had a thought: maybe Yaakov wasn't ''damaged'' by Esav's angel, maybe he GAINED a ''shift'' of understanding? His ''thigh'' got ''shifted'' and he became worthy of the name Yisrael.....
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