Parshas Ha’azinu

The power of song!

This week’s parsha, Ha’azinu, begins discussing the contents of the fourth prophetic song, Ha’azinu. The song poetically depicts the future of the Jewish people until the end of days. The song goes into detail about what will happen if they transgress their covenant with Hashem.  Each of the nine songs had sadness that followed; however, the tenth song, which is the greatest, will be sung at our redemption, marking the end of our suffering and exile!

Order of songs composed by:

1.      Adam, who recited the first song in Gan Adan (he composed Mizmor shir leyom Shabbot, a song to praise the greatness of Shabbot).

2.      Moshe and Bnai Israel, composed a song at the Red Sea.

3.      Bnai Israel, composed a song at the Well of Miriam (Parshas Chukas).

4.      Moshe, taught Bnai Israel the song of Ha’azinu on the day of his passing.

5.      Yehoshua, sang a song when he fought the Emorites in Givon, when the sun miraculously stopped, so that Bnai Israel could continue fighting.

6.      Devorah and Barak, composed a song when Hashem delivered their enemy to their hand.

7.      Chana, sang a song after giving birth to Shmuel (she was childless for many years, so she praised Hashem with a prophetic song).

8.      King David, composed a song at the end of his life, in order to thank Hashem for saving him from his enemies.

9.      King Shlomo, composed Shir Hashirim.

10.  The Jewish people will sing this final song when we are redeemed from our present exile.

RAIN RAIN DON’T GO AWAY! Dvar Torah in under a minute!

The parsha continues with Moshe comparing the Torah to rain. Just as rain is a life giving force, the Torah too is vital for our survival.  Just as rain descends from above, we too received the Torah from above. Rain enables plants to grow; however, the rain does not create the seed or plant, similarly, the Torah allows the seed in one’s heart to grow and to develop to its full potential. Once a person dedicates his heart and mind to the Torah, only then will his studies be fruitful!

Why G-d? WHY?!

In the course of this prophetic song, Ha’azinu, Moshe predicts the harsh punishments the Jews would incur if they abandoned the Torah. Despite the punishments that the Jews would incur if they transgressed, Moshe defended Hashem’s ways as being absolute just (Hashem only punishes people justly and never out of anger).  Hashem is a just G-d who will ultimately reward the righteous and punish the wicked.

 Unfortunately, too many times we see righteous people suffer and we question why and how is God being just? We cannot come to understand Hashem’s infinite wisdom and see how that suffering can be good; however, what we can do is accept the suffering. By recognizing that the suffering we endure is temporary, and an extremely relative experience, we can lift some burden off our shoulders. Moreover, many times the suffering we experience in this world is atoning for any sins we have committed; thereby, we will not suffer in the World to Come, where the delights of that world are incomparable to this world.  What seems fortunate now, may be an impediment to a person in this world, and conversely, what seems unfortunate now, may not be so in the World to come, (also that misfortune can build a person into someone remarkable, allowing him to fully benefit in the future world).

The moral of the story is that we should not look at our physical existence as absolute. If G-d forbid a person is struck with misfortune, he should accept the fact that, this is what Hashem wants, and everything He does is for the best. This attitude can only be acquired from studying Torah, because the Torah teaches us how to develop our bitachon- faith- in Hashem, all allowing us to recognize His handiwork in every aspect of our lives.

Parshas Vayelech

This week’s parsha begins with Hashem revealing to Moshe that his last day on earth had arrived. Although Hashem had Heavenly decreed that Moshe’s death was imminent, Moshe nonetheless pleaded to Hashem to prolong his life.

Although Moshe’s pleads were heard, Hashem told him that there was nothing more He could do, nonetheless he kept praying to Hashem. Although his prayers were not answered according to his wishes, Moshe did not lose hope that Hashem would change the Heavenly decree and he persisted in prayer. Hashem comforted Moshe and let him know that he would be taken care of by Hashem, as He cares for us all, as a father cares endlessly for his children.

This should shed some light to us as we approach Yom Kippur. Although we may beg and plead with Hashem to grant us with what we think is good for us, ultimately, Hashem, our Father, knows what’s best. This should not push us from praying with all our hearts, but rather this should get us to contemplate what in fact we are praying for. With a heightened awareness in our teffilah, we can focus on what our neshamah truly wants from this New Year, a year filled with spiritual development and success! May we all be blessed with the discipline and commitment to achieve such great heights!

Quotes that matter

“In all matters, save this one, there is hope. A person can hope to become rich, or strong, wise, or powerful, but no man can hope to be saved from death and live forever” (Yeshayahu 22:13).

This Midrash is teaching us that rather than having the non-Jewish perspective about life, to “eat, drink, for tomorrow we will die,” our sages caution to tell us that because our time on earth is so limited, we should spend that limited time chasing worthy pursuits. By recognizing how precious our lives are, we can look to make the most of every minute.

Another year has flown by; Yom Kippur is on the rise, time is ticking away. Have you spend it wisely or foolishly? We should be inspired to take these next few days and contemplate how we can spend our time more wisely this year.

Some things to ponder: How can I make more time for learning and fulfilling the Divine Will?
How can I spend more quality time with family and friends/make more time for chesed?
What steps can I take to develop my middot more?
How can I intensify my meditation on Hashem’s infinite Oneness?

By focusing our energies on these worthy pursuits, we are without question becoming better people. Developing these areas of the self will prepare us for the world to come, where we will enjoy all the mitzvot and all the learning we accomplished.

Parsha Nitzavim

 

In last week’s parsha, Moshe warned the Jewish people of all the curses and affliction they would endure, if they transgressed the Torah; however, he reminded them that despite the curses and affliction they would face, the suffering would ultimately benefit them (hardships develop people) and they would still survive despite the suffering. This is truly a remarkable quality the Jewish people have developed. When the Jews suffer, they look at their suffering as an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to understand what message Hashem is trying to get through to them, thus they strengthen their relationship with Him; however, throughout history we have seen that when the gentiles suffer, they deny God.

Moreover, this week’s parsha, Nitzavim, continues with Moshe speaking to Bnai Israel telling them that they need to make a new covenant with Hashem as they enter the land of Israel.

The parsha continues with Moshe telling the people, “This day resembles the day of the giving of the Torah. God is entering with you a new covenant, to which He binds you with an oath.”

The Jewish people already received the Torah at Mount Sinai and made a covenant with Hashem, why is Hashem making a new covenant with them upon their arrival in Israel? Living isolated in the desert for forty years allowed the Jews to become completely dependent upon Hashem, which could have coerced them to keep His Torah so full heartedly. However, now that the Jewish people were about to enter the fully abundant land of Israel, there was a danger that they would start becoming lax about their observance of the mitzvot. Therefore, Hashem wanted the Jewish people to reinstate their covenant with Him, to signify the important of observing His Torah no matter what the circumstances.

Does this not sound familiar to you? We are fortunate enough to live in a land where all our needs are met. Who ever thought such a day would come, where we have an abundance of food, water, supplies, etc. Unfortunately, we have been plagued with becoming too lax in our Torah observance because we have become more self-reliant than any generation before us. With Rosh Hashanah buzzing around the corner, this should be a time for us all to reinstate our covenant with Hashem.

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, and work on reinstating our relationship with Hashem, we should ask ourselves the following:

‘Am I happy with where I am spiritually, religiously, and psychologically?’

‘What accomplishments have I made since last year?’

‘What areas can I work on this year?’

This Shabbot we end the year, and on Sunday we will embark upon a new journey, a year where we can fill in any gaps that need filling, rekindle our bond to Hashem, develop our internal consciousness, and see clearly where our shortcomings were this past year and how we can develop those shortcomings into our newfound strengths.

May we end this year on a positive note, understanding that all the growth, we did or didn’t make, developed us into the person we are today. We should applaud ourselves on the personal growth we did make but also take notice to all the areas that we still need to develop. So let us jump up in excitement for the new year where we can reinstate our covenant with the holy One above! Shabbot Shalom and Shana Tova!

Parsha Ki Savo- Fruitful Endeavors

This week’s parsha, Ki Savo, begins its discussion with bikurim- the mitzvah to bring the first fruits to the Bait Hamikdash. The seven species are: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.

By bringing our first fruit to the temple, we are confirming our belief that Hashem is our G-d who bestowed His kindness upon us so that we could earn a livelihood and continuously be sustained. Additionally, the mitzvah of bikurim teaches us to express the utmost gratitude to Hashem for giving us a land that is fertile. For the kindness Hashem has bestowed upon us, giving us fruitful produce, we reserve the first ripe fruit for Him.

Moreover, anyone who has planted a garden, vineyard, etc., knows the amount of work, dedication, and patience he needs to yield results. Even more so, there is no guarantee that his garden will grow! The blessing that comes down to one’s garden, etc., is truly a gift from G-d.

If only today we could express the same joy over the fruit we eat! We have lost this sensitivity to appreciate all that Hashem has given us. Rather than focusing on the fruit we do have, and expressing gratitude over it, we seem to obsess over the fruit we don’t have. With the high holy days approaching, we should all pay additional attention to every piece of fruit Hashem has blessed us with! By taking the time to appreciate the small joys in life, we can attain true happiness. To implement this ideology on the most basic level next time you bite into apple, allow your mind to ponder the years of development that the tree needed to make before it gave birth to this tree fruit. With this heightened state of awareness, you will truly feel the utmost appreciation for even the simplest of snacks.

Moreover, Judaism teaches that the secret to a happy life is finding holiness in the physical world. The mitzvah of bikurim truly gives us insight on how to develop our happiness within, taking the physical world (fruit) and elevating it (giving our fruit to Hashem). May we all find the strength within to develop this heightened gratitude!