Mezuza!!!! 30 second DVAR TORAH!

 

This week’s parsha discusses the mitzvah of putting mezuzot on the doorposts of one’s home, as a tangible reminder of Hashem oneness.  Whenever a Jew enters his home, the mezuza is meant to arouse feelings of complete awareness of Hashem, thereby eradicating any worldly thoughts that bear no significance.

The mezuzah acts as a reminder that Hashem is the “Master of this house” and the occupants are merely guests, reminding us that everything Hashem has bestowed upon us is a gift that we should continuously have gratitude for.

Letting those dolla' bills get the best of us!

 

Moshe warns Bnai Israel that they should not forget Hashem’s commandments when they enter the Land of Israel and become wealthy. When people become wealthy, their newfound security builds arrogance; hence people start rejecting any higher authority (i.e. God), or they attribute their success to themselves exclusively. Moshe warned Bnai Israel to remember that Hashem gave them a land that was fully cultivated by the Canaanites, who labored and planted vineyards, olive groves, and dug wells so that the Jews would not have to toil in extra labor. So to, Moshe warned them not to indulge in material pleasures and forget Hashem, but to continuously love and fear Him.

Moshe’s words are still a warning for us today. How easily are we poisoned by a culture that focuses exclusively on amassing materialism? How enticing that world is! However, the drive for material abundance is fruitless. Wealth comes and goes, but the wisdom one amasses from the Torah is eternal. Rather than becoming a slave to one’s wealth, a person can find ways to use his wealth for goodness, rather than serving his own ego (i.e. through giving charity generously, supporting Torah learning, etc.). 

Additionally, this should be a reminder for us all not to chase aimless pursuits. Indeed, it is important to have a well sustained life, but where do we draw the line before the need for excess completely infiltrates our very essence? At the end of the day, what do you want to be remembered for? All the money you made, all the fame and honor you acquired? Or do you want to be remembered for greater things like, being a giving person, or being a devoted student of Torah, etc.? The answer lies in what you choose to value in this world. If financial success, power, money, honor, status, etc. are what you value, than the answer is clear. But for most of you, I am sure your neshama-soul- wants more than those fleeting accomplishments. The answer, my friends, lies in recognizing that you are above all those desires. Once you overcome your yatzar hara's- evil inclination- whine for more, realizing how immature and nonsensical those desires really are, you will feel empowered more than ever and continue on the road to finding the inner essence of your true self.

NO PAIN? NO GAIN!!!!

This week’s parsha, continues with Hashem telling the Jews not to test Him or a true prophet. Moshe warned the Jews, “Do not keep the mitzvot on the condition that you will prosper.”  There will be times in our lives, where despite the fact that we follow Hashem’s commandments, we still endure misfortune or suffering. We cannot ask for Hashem to prove Himself to us during these times of distress. Hashem publicized Himself at yetzias Mitzrayim- the exodus from Egypt- for all future generations to know that Hashem exists. Furthermore, with G-d making Himself known to all Jews, we must follow His laws, even if we cannot fathom why. His commandments are what sustain us in this world, and in the world to come.

Although we may suffer misfortune, and question the point of serving Hashem in our times of distress, we must continuously remind ourselves that although we do not comprehend the entirety of our observance, there are many spiritual benefits to our mitzvot that will be rewarded completely in the next world. (Moreover, any suffering we may endure does not happen in vain. Our suffering is meant to teach us that something is wrong and we need to reevaluate things in our lives, and build ourselves into stronger people). We can never assume to understand Hashem’s Providence over our lives. What we can do however, is focus on the future gratification we will one day achieve from all the mitzvot we have observed, despite the current suffering and misfortune.

Torah for your table!

The fifth book of the Torah, Devarim, starts its discussion with Moshe telling the Jewish people, “Today Hashem, your G-d, commands that you do these laws” (16:26). Wait a minute, wasn’t the Torah given to the Jewish people forty years earlier, and didn’t Hashem command the people to follow the laws then? What is the sense of the repetition?  In other words, Hashem wants Bnai Israel to follow the Torah each and every day as it if was just given to them. He wants the Jewish people to feel as connected to following the commandments as they were on the day they received the Torah.

Throughout our lives, we have our inspiring moments that drive our souls to places we never knew existed, and we have moments where we feel as though we are holding onto our faith by a shredding thread. Despite the volatility of our inspiration, we have to keep the Torah near and dear to us, just as if we had just received in on Mount Sinai. By developing this sense of awareness, our inspiration and connection to the mitzvot will heighten without question, and a part of our neshama- soul- will feel as though it is constantly receiving the wisdom of the Torah at every moment.

Emunah- Devarim’s Powerful quotes

Emunah- Devarim’s Powerful quotes

Emunah- commitment/loyalty- is the foundation of the Jewish people.  When we pray to Hashem, we say, “our G-d, G-d of our forefathers, etc.” We are calling out to Him as our Father first and foremost. In His greatness, we are meant to attach ourselves to Him through fulfilling His commandments. The Book of Devarim teaches a Jew how to strengthen his emunah to Hashem. Additionally, Devarim discusses many mitzvot pertaining to believing in Hashem’s oneness, loving, and fearing Him.

Throughout our thousands of years in exile and the much suffering our nation has endured, the one thing that has kept us inspired is our emunah. Yirmeyahu, the prophet, quotes, “My soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten the good times, I thought my eternal world and my souls are lost from Hashem, because I sinned so greatly” (Aicha 3:17:18). However, he immediately encourages himself and says, “this I recall to my heart and therefore I will hope: Hashem’s kindness does not cease, His mercies do not end. His mercies are new every morning, great is His emunah” (ibid 2:21:23). What does Yirmeyahu mean when he says, His emunah? Rashi explains that Hashem promised to never forsake us and that He will keep His promise to us (our future redemption) and continuously extend His kindness to us. Despite the bad times we may experience, we must always encourage ourselves, just as the great prophet Yirmeyahu did, and remember the eternal kindness Hashem displays toward His people.

Additionally, the book of Devarim teaches us: “Only guard yourself and guard your soul very much, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life, but teach them to your sons and your sons’ son- the day you stood before Hashem, your G-d at Sinai” (4:9-10). The Torah recognizes that there are many factors that may lead us astray from observing Hashem’s mitzvot, hence causing us to lose our emunah. The drive for greed, honor, lust, etc., are some of the many factors that may drive us away from serving Hashem with our entire heart. Moreover, by misinterpreting the Torah, or not having the sufficient knowledge to observe it properly, we stray from Hashem.

Our goal as Jews is to continuously strive to stay connected and develop our emunah. We need to pray that Hashem will strengthen it. We need to be persistent and determined to fight all the evil inclinations that pull us away from serving Hashem with joy. Additionally, we need to know that Hashem is in control of our lives and all the circumstances we are presented with. With this awareness and developed emunah, we will be able to maintain the bond Hashem created with our ancestors all those years ago.

Parshas Mattos and Ma'say-- Gratitude

This week's double parsha begins listing all the places Bnai Israel camped over their forty year sojourn in the desert. What is the significance of Hashem going through all of the different places?

The Torah continuously describes the locations where the Jews were in the desert, in order to show that those places were completely uninhabited by anything-- humans, vegetation, or animal life. Moreover, former generations know that those areas were uninhabited, more proof that the Jews had divine assistance from above.

He is showing that the only way Bnai Israel survived the conditions in the desert was through His assistance. By having the Jews sojourn in the desert for forty years, Bnai Israel learned to build their emunah- loyalty/commitment- to Hashem, recognizing that, had He not sustained them, they would not exist.

Furthermore, Hashem wanted to proclaim to the entire world that it was He who sustained the entire nation of Israel.

 This should inspire us all to see Hashem in our everyday lives. He sustains us in more ways than we appreciate. From our shelter, to the food we are blessed to eat, we should continue to develop gratitude for the One who has given us everything we have, regardless of how much or little that may be.

Quotes that matter

‘One who slays an individual, it as if he destroys the whole world’

The parsha continues to discuss the placement of the different tribes of Israel. The Levites, were not given a land in Israel, like the other tribes because they did not farm the land; they devoted their lives to the service of Hashem.  Of the forty eight Levite cities, Hashem commanded that six of them be designed Cities of Refuge for men who committed unintentional murder. Why it is that Hashem placed these refugees with the Levites? Despite the fact that these men had committed murder, even though it was unintentionally done, they were resented by many people of society; however, the Leviites completely understood that all that occurs is in Hashem’s will. They kindly accepted all the refugees into their society. Additionally, Hashem wanted to put these men in an environment where they could be elevated by the kedusha-holiness- that surrounded them—the Levites carried spirituality and kedusha no matter where they were, so to, Hashem’s intention was that their influence would rub off onto the refugees and it would inspire them to repent.

The Torah places extra severity on the sin of committing bloodshed—‘One who slays an individual, it as if he destroys the whole world.’ A person who was killed does not rest until his blood is avenged for, so to, the punishment for murder is adverse, even if murder is committed unintentionally.  This parsha unfortunately relates to what has been going on globally. This week, the Jewish world painfully experienced two tragic events: the death of HaRav Elyashiv Ztz”l and the brutal murder of seven Israeli's in a terrorist attack.

Regarding the former, we have lost a great Torah scholar, one that can never be replaced. The mystics teach us that tzadkkim are the foundation of the world. Because they completely immerse every breath and moment of their lives to Torah, they nullify the sins of the community at large.

Regarding the latter, not only was this a hate crime against the nation of Israel, this should be looked at a humanitarian hate crime against our human race. The world cannot continue to tolerate such acts of violence and hate. We have become desensitized to violence and murders that have plagued our world. We many mourn for a moment, but then move on to living our lives. What the Torah comes to teach us is how each person in fact equivalent to that of a whole world. With the crimes that we have been plagued with, it seems as if the world is continuously being destroyed. Unfortunately, we no longer are being protected by HaRav Elyashiv Ztz”l, so we have to look at these events as a wakeup call for action.

In order to shed any light to the people who have tragically lost their lives, and avenge their honor so that they may rest in peace, we can make small improvements in our own lives to sanctify their memory. By committing ourselves to doing slightly more, i.e. take on additional brachot, having more kavona-concentration- when praying, to fulfilling mitzvot with more joy, in the merit of those who have unfortunately perished, we can try to shed some light back into the unfortunate darkness we are currently experiencing.