Va’Ethanan

Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11

Reading Torah is a unique experience.  We begin on the earth, grounded as it were with the simple understanding of the words.  Then we flow mentally and mystically through the roots of the words. If we are very fortunate, we find ourselves playing in the branches of our sacred tree (“It is a tree of life to all who hold fast to it”עץ חיים"  "למחזיקים בו).   

Many have struggled with the question of why Moshe Rabbeinu, the Holiest of humans was not allowed to cross over into the promised land.  Here is yet another interpretation.

כג  וָאֶתְחַנַּן, אֶל-יְהוָה, בָּעֵת הַהִוא, לֵאמֹר.

23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying:

My Translation/Interpretation: At that time, I needed G to cover, comfort, wrap me in G’s grace. I gave expression to my need:

כד  אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, אַתָּה הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת-עַבְדְּךָ, אֶת-גָּדְלְךָ, וְאֶת-יָדְךָ הַחֲזָקָה--אֲשֶׁר מִי-אֵל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-יַעֲשֶׂה כְמַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְכִגְבוּרֹתֶךָ.

24 'O Lord GOD, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts?

My Translation/Interpretation: “Oh Wholly One of Being, My Council, You have begun the process of showing me, teaching your follower, how You thread everything together and Your strong direction. Who else can do as You have done so splendidly with heaven and earth?

כה  אֶעְבְּרָה-נָּא, וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה, אֲשֶׁר, בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן:  הָהָר הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה, וְהַלְּבָנֹן.

25 Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.'

My Translation/Interpretation: Let me cross over, or let me at least see that good land that is across the Jordan: This good mountain and Lebanon.”

כו  וַיִּתְעַבֵּר יְהוָה בִּי לְמַעַנְכֶם, וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלָי; וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, רַב-לָךְ--אַל-תּוֹסֶף דַּבֵּר אֵלַי עוֹד, בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה.

26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.

My Translation/Interpretation: And G crossed over with me (in my soul), but for your sake did not focus on me.  And G emanated to me: “It is already a great thing (that you have done); do not try to add to this matter with more word/things.”

כז  עֲלֵה רֹאשׁ הַפִּסְגָּה, וְשָׂא עֵינֶיךָ יָמָּה וְצָפֹנָה וְתֵימָנָה וּמִזְרָחָה--וּרְאֵה בְעֵינֶיךָ:  כִּי-לֹא תַעֲבֹר, אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה.

27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

My Translation/Interpretation: “Go up to the top of Pisgah and turn your eyes to the sea, to the south and the east. Let your eyes see, because you will not cross this Jordan.”

There is so much to unpack in this Parasha.  In it we find the first paragraph of the Shema.  This paragraph councils us, with compassion and humor, to focus and to love and even offers deep teachings on the ‘how’. It begins with the challenge to believe in the Oneness that is the source of all creation.  And immediately guides us to a path of love.  We are commanded to love. We ask in our hearts: “How?” The answer comes; “heartfully, soulfully, fully!” Again we ask how. And the answer wafts from the black fire on white fire: “Keep these teachings close to your heart.” And like a young child, we ask again: “How?” And HaShem with patience and compassion answers us. The key to remembering is to share these teachings with our children.  And because HaShem is such a good teacher of us, G’s children, there is humor added to the mix. We are to speak of this powerful teaching only two times in a day, when we are standing up and when we are not standing up.  And for those of us who still don’t get the joke it is repeated. We only have to focus on the power of love when we are at home and when we are not at home. And to help us remember the sacred power of love, the power of holy focusing on the source of love, we are to wrap these words on our arm and wear them as jewels on our heads.  They are our strength and our crown.  And more, we are to write them as reminders on our doors and gates. And even when we are doing well, we must remember the power and purpose of love and the source from whence it and all things flow.

Parashat Va'Etchanan is always read on the Shabbat after Tasha B’Av, the day of great sadness, and is known as Shabbat Nahamu, taking its name from the opening words of comfort in its special haftarah.

The concept of binding love on our arms and wearing the love as a crown on our heads has come down to us as a memory device called Tfillin.  So powerful is Tfillin that the Sages of the Talmud teach that the Wholly one of blessing, dons Tfillin every day (BT Brachot 6a); they suggest that in the boxes of G’s Tfillin are verses paralleling the boxes worn by Jews.  In G’s Tfillin are the teachings of love for all humanity, for our planet and for out process.

There is ‘Nahamu’/comfort in the spiritual image of laying Tfillin with the Wholly One of Being, the Source of all being, our Holy Council.

The Sacred and Hope filled Tears of Tisha B'Av

Tradition teaches us that Tisha B’Av is a time of mourning. We mourn the destruction of the first and Second Temple. Over time we have added expulsions, inquisitions, the Holocaust and some have even tried to make a connection with 9/11. The mental gymnastics involved in some of these equations are strenuous to say the least.  Yet I would propose that we do not need to struggle with a Pilpulish effort to make the event meet the date on our calendar.  Rather, let us simply accept that on a warm summer day, we take a break from our busy lives and allow ourselves to acknowledge that there is sorrow in the world.  There has always been sorrow in the world and that until the Messianic age (and maybe after) there will be sorrow in the world.

And there is sorrow and hardship in our own lives.  Without allowing that sorrow to dominate our lives, should we not recognize and reflect and even weep for the sadness that is in our world, in our tribe and in ourselves?

I weep for our world and the careless destruction that we heap upon it. My tears flow for lost loved ones and friends and my Rebbe for whom I ache. I look heavenward tearfully and silently wail for the struggles of friends and family and even strangers, I cry out at missed and squandered opportunities. I am dismayed over my loss of strength and physical abilities and memory and mental acuity. I take a day to let go, not to control my emotions, not to smile in the face of adversity.  I say to myself: “There are times when I must be strong.  This is not one of them.

The 9^th of Av usually falls around my birthday giving that day a bittersweet quality.

And yet…

I need this day of mourning to help me refocus.  I need this day of mourning because I do not want this annual event to spiral down into a daily occurrence. I need this day to inspire me to rebuild what has been destroyed. After this day of mourning must come a day of building. After this day of mourning I can once more enjoy the warm summer days and be touched by the cool, crisp fall air and prepare for the cold and wondrous winter.

There is a story told or Rabbi Akiba (and I paraphrase) who stood on a hill overlooking the ruins of the Temple with other Rabbis. They saw foxes running through the destruction.

Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Akiba saw a fox emerging from the place of the Holy of Holies. The others started weeping; Rabbi Akiba laughed.

Said they to him: "Why are you laughing?"

And he said to them: "Why are you weeping?"

They cried: "This is such a sacred place and now foxes traverse it, it is a time for weeping.”

He responded: "That is why I laugh. Just as Uriah the Prophet foretold of this day, Zechariah foretold of the rebuilding of the Temple.  Could the latter happen without the former?”

For me, Tisha B’Av is a time of weeping over the destruction.  But I know that a new day will break and I must roll up my sleeves for the joyous task of rebuilding.

Rocky Mountain Hai

scribbling upon a dream

Berasheet and the Mateh

I am sharing my story for the first time. And it is about time. I have been here since the beginning, even before the beginning. What does that mean, you ask? It means that I am not some descendant of ancient race; I am the antecedent of an ancient race. I am the Mateh מטה, I was taken from the original tree in the original garden. I was there before any of the 4 leggeds and before the 2 leggeds and all the other leggeds. I am from the family of one leggeds, the trees. We are far superior to the other leggeds that scurry around all over the place chasing or being chased. We stand and grow tall digging our roots into the very earth that the 2 legged and 4 legged scamper over without thought. We are the watchers, we trees, we Aitzim עצים and I come from the original watcher the Tree of Life. Before the time of the 2 leggeds, before the time of the 4 leggeds, before the time of mother earth herself, even before the time of time, I was there. Well it wasn’t exactly me for there was but G and beginnings had not yet begun., Before there was an I or a Thou, before time and space, before the before there was but G. And G created all and it was all done with a beginning. G began beginnings and the path that was to be, began.

G began the beginnings and then created concepts and turned them into matter and energy from which came space and time. And it all started with the idea of creating, the very blueprints for creation.
Oh when you read in the Sacred Guide called Torah תורה you may not get the depths of meaning, after all you are merely a two legged. But I am the Matehמטה I understand. The very first words, “Beraesheet Bara Elohim בראשית ברא אלוהים” are the first clue. It means “By means of a beginning did G create.” And I was there and when G created that perfect Garden, I as part of the Tree of Life was put into it and the Tree of Knowledge as well. We are sisters related by root. The Tree of Knowledge was put in to help the two leggeds grow. I from the Tree of Life was given to them to find the deeper reality, the mystical meaning of life.
Now if you read that portion called Beraesheet בראשית you know of the troubles of the first 2 leggeds. They were naked and knew nothing. But what you don’t know is that I from the Tree of Life helped them to take the first steps on the spirit path. I held myself in such a way that the wind blew through me coaxing the female one toward the Tree of Knowledge. It was so subtle as G’s Ruah רוח, ‘Wind Spirit’ blew the words; “Don’t eat from that tree in the middle of the Garden!” Oh you silly two leggeds. How easily manipulated you are. If you are told you are not to do something, you just can’t resist. But G added a little encouragement in the form of Sammy. Sammy is a Nahash נחש a snake. We call him Sammy the Snake. It is a colorful nickname. Now Sammy was supposed to be a crawly reptile without legs. But before G completed the job, G had Sammy sit on the tree and speak to the female. He was wily that Sammy was. He said: “Why don’t you eats from this tree?” The female said; “No, G has said that we can’t eat or even!” You have to hand it to Sammy. With that little exaggeration, he knew that he had her. “I am touching it, try nothing will happen.” G just said that because if you eat from this tree you will become wise and G wants to keep you down.” I had to chuckle when I heard that. She reached out and touched it and then, when nothing happened she tasted it. G had made the fruit to taste really good so that she would want the fruit of the tree of knowledge. So with her mind beginning to open she offered it to the male two legged. He ate it too and enjoyed. But of course knowledge is not all happiness and fun. For example they received the knowledge called guilt. G blew the Ruah רוח, ‘Wind Spirit’ through my branches again and the couple heard it as anger and punishment. So they left the perfect garden where I, the perfect tree resided.

Now I need to stop here and share something with you. After all you are only a two-legged and might not understand. G had tricked the couple into receiving a great gift. Learning, gaining knowledge is one of the greatest gifts that G ever made. But how do you get people to accept a gift that will require some effort on their part. Why not stay in the garden or eat of me, the tree of life. Oy the four choices were there. What, don’t you see them? Let me help you, after all I am the Mateh מטה, the guide. The first choice would have been to eat nothing, to obey G blindly. They would have lived their lives in ignorance and passed on with no heir and there would be an end to the two leggeds. The Second choice would have been to eat from me and not the tree of knowledge. Oh the tragedy. They would have lived forever, never had children (for that is the price you pay for eating from the tree of life) and never grown or learned. Everlasting cattle, (no offense is meant to those four leggeds) with no chance for spiritual growth. The Third choice would have been a punishment beyond any horror that you could imagine. What if they had (G forbid) eaten from both trees. They would have lived forever, learned and learned and grown and grown but never have been able to pass it on to their children. The awareness that eternity awaited, that learning would go on but with no one to share the joy, no one to receive the wisdom. Oh the pointless existence that would have been.

But they did as G intended. They ate from the Tree of Knowledge and this is really where my story begins. For G’s Ruah רוח, ‘Wind Spirit’ broke off a limb from the tree and it fell at their feet. They picked it up, well they picked me up, I am that limb I am the Matehמטה and I have been with the two leggeds ever since. I am the spirit guide; upon me can they lean as they travel across the planet. By the way, do you know the names that G gave these two first two leggeds. It is very telling. He was called Adam אדם the Earthling for he came from the dust of the earth as, indeed, we will all return. But her name is something else. She who started the process off was called Hava חווה the Life Giver. Is that not a beautiful name? And that is how the story of the two leggeds began on the Earth that G created for all life.