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Though we just celebrated 62 years since the establishment of the sate of Israel which is definitely a momentous occasion to celebrate, we can’t forget that we are still in a time of mourning. Thousands of years later we are mourning the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva that died in a plague. It is customary during this time not to listen to music and have weddings as a symbol of our mourning. Through the ages during this time many other terrible decrees have been made against the Jewish people. It has always amazed me how in Judaism we are constantly trying to keep the balance between times of sadness and mourning and times of joy and celebration. As we see between the mourning of Rabbi Akiva’s students and celebrating the state of Israel. Though thousands of years separate these two events, I think that there is a strong connection between them.

Though Rabbi Akiva tragically lost many of his students, he was still able to rebuild his yeshiva from his five students that were left. His students were not just ordinary students but they were some of the greatest Torah scholars in Jewish history. They were Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Nechemia. It was to their credit that we have the Talmud today. How was Rabbi Akiva able to get over this great loss and rebuild his yeshiva and what can we learn from him? I read an interesting answer to this question. Rabbi Akiva got his strength to continue on teaching Torah to his five remaining students from the same thing that brought him to Torah observance, a single drop of water. The way Rabbi Akiva first began to embrace Torah was when he was 40 years old and one day while he was tending to his sheep, he saw a rock and he noticed a cavity in it. He wondered what was so powerful that could cause this cavity. Then he looked up and saw a drop of water falling from the mountain and he realized that overtime this drop of water had affected the rock. He then reasoned that if a drop of water could make an impression on a hard rock, then so to can Torah penetrate his mind. It was after that incident that Rabbi Akiva began his journey towards living a Torah lifestyle and he eventually became one of the Torah leaders of his generation.

So we can ask why did this incident cause Rabbi Akiva to change his whole life around ?
What was so special about that single drop of water and how did Rabbi Akiva identify with it? When Rabbi Akiva saw what a difference one drop of water made to the rock, he understood how much power and potential each individual has. He realized that what he did and how he reacted to life mattered and how his decisions could affect the world. So when his 24,000 students died he thought back to that day that first gave him strength to take something that before seemed unreachable and impossible and it strengthened him once again to move forward.

Now, fast forwarding thousands of years later lets try to find the connection between Rabbi Akiva and modern times. I believe that just like Hashem gave Rabbi Akiva with the strength to spread his Torah wisdom to his five remaining students, Hashem also provided the Holocaust survivors with the strength and will power to rise above the nightmares they experienced and helped them rebuild their lives in Israel. It was because of each one of the pioneer’s individual will power and perseverance, that we can now celebrate 62 years of the state of Israel. As we celebrate this milestone with joy we can’t forget how Hashem has always and will always help us rise above our persecution and will eventually fully redeem us with the coming of the redemption. May we see it speedily in our days. Amen!

At the end of this week’s parshah, the Torah describes the last moments of Moshe’s life:

“Hashem spoke to Moshe on that very day, saying, “Ascend to this mountain…and see the Land of Canaan that I give to the Children of Israel as an inheritance, and die on the mountain where you will ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people” [Deuteronomy: 32: 48-50]

After commanding Moshe the process by which he is to die, God reminds Moshe of the reason why Moshe was not permitted to enter the land (see Numbers 20:12 and 27:12-14 for more details):

“Because you trespassed against Me among the Children of Israel at the waters of Merivat-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Tzin; because you did not sanctify Me among the Children of Israel” [Deuteronomy: 32: 51]

Up until this point, this paragraph seems to be in order; it would’ve been very suitable for Hashem to end His conversation with Moshe at this point. However, Hashem decides to squeeze in one more verse:

“For from a distance shall you see the Land, but you shall not enter there, into the Land that I give to the Children of Israel” [Deuteronomy: 32: 52]

Why was this necessary!? God has already clearly articulated to Moshe in verses 49-50 that he shall see Israel from the mountain he was commanded to ascend! What is the reason God returns to the topic of “Moshe seeing the land” and relate it once again?

In truth, this final verse was crucial. If Hashem would have only commanded Moshe verses 49-50, Moshe could’ve posed the following question: “Hashem, I understand that because of my sin You have prohibited me from leading the nation into the land Israel. But, if You are already permitting me to view the land, why can’t I have a closer look? Why can’t I actually enter the land, by myself, for a short while and see the land from inside? Afterwards, I shall surely return to this mountain and I will die here as You have commanded me.” Seemingly, this is a very valid request. But it is to this request that Hashem had to repeat Himself with the emphasis that “from a distance shall you see the Land, you shall not enter there.”

Now that we have obtained a possible solution to this apparent redundancy, we are left with an obvious question: Why in fact couldn’t Moshe enter the land? Was it not enough that he was not permitted to lead the nation of Israel into it? The very same nation he took out of Egypt, and guided in the desert for 40 years! What message was God trying to convey to Moshe by not even letting him enter the land on his own?

There are many answers to this question; perhaps we can offer one. By prohibiting Moshe from even setting foot in the land, God was trying to communicate a very important lesson regarding the nature of the land of Israel. Yes, the physical land itself contains an inherent quality of tremendous holiness of which no other piece of land in the world can compare. Upon entering the land of Israel one can instantaneously feel his soul being lifted up to higher levels, eager to bring itself closer to God. But, despite its lofty state of holiness, the land of Israel is meaningless if it lacks a nation to dwell within it. Perhaps, God was trying to illustrate to Moshe that being alone in the land of Israel would not serve any purpose. Only within the collective whole of Am Yisrael can the function of the land of Israel be truly recognized.

Hopefully, most of us honestly realize the significance of the land of Israel and have cultivated within ourselves some level of yearning and attachment to it. But at the same time, how many of us actually focus, not only on the beauty and holiness of the land itself, but on our brethren that inhabits it? Living in Israel loses its luster if we constantly complain about the taxi drivers, airport attendants, or waitresses that unfortunately seem to have a talent of getting on our nerves daily! Only once we strengthen ourselves to develop a deeper love for our fellow Jews that live in (and out) of Israel, can the land of Israel truly reach its purpose.

Good Shabbos,

NZL

The parshah this week starts off with the “first fruit” offering; basically, the first batch of ripened fruits to grow in one’s property were obligated to be brought to Jerusalem, to the Temple. At that site, the one offering the fruit would conduct a ritual that included a declaration of gratitude to Hashem (God). After reciting the declaration, the fruit would then be presented as a gift to the Kohen (Jewish priest) working in the Temple.

Throughout the many expressions recited in the declaration, one line seems to shine out after close examination. After praising God for removing us from the bondage of Egypt, the verse states:

“ ‘He brought us to this place, and He gave us this Land, a Land flowing with milk and honey’ ” [Deuteronomy: 26: 9]

“This place” refers to the Temple, and “this Land” refers to the land of Israel of course. The only problem is that they’re written in reverse order! Chronologically, we entered the land of Israel first and only then did we build the Temple! Furthermore, it would not be possible to build the Temple without entering the land first! What’s going on?

A very simplistic answer would be that indeed the Temple was built first; in a way. Before entering the land, while we were traversing the desert, we built the Tabernacle, which was sort of a transportable Temple. All the divine service that was needed to be done was carried out through the Tabernacle. So you can say that the Temple was built first, in its temporary state, and only then did we get to Israel. But there lies a slight problem with this simple answer. The verse we are focusing on is part of the declaration for the “first fruits” offering in particular, and this special offering only took effect once we entered Israel! We weren’t able to bring the first fruits to the Tabernacle! So perhaps there is a deeper answer to our question.

The idea is quite simple. The verse was not focusing on the order of chronology, rather it is meant to be understood as an order of ideology. Meaning, the Temple and what it symbolizes comes before our actual entrance into the land. The Temple, which is the locus of divine worship, represents the nation’s religious service. Without religious service, without the goal of developing a strong relationship with God, what point could the land of Israel serve? A cozy place to live? It is not the location of Israel that is the be-all end-all, but the function. So, although the Temple was actually built years after we stepped foot into Israel, the Jewish nation knew that it was the ultimate priority.

It is no coincidence that this verse, which expresses this ideal, is found within the special commandment of the “first fruits”. The act of giving up one’s first fruits to the Temple symbolized that one is meant to dedicate everything he has for the service of God. Through hard work and toil we work the land, and we hopefully receive fruits in return. But before we can enjoy them we are commanded to give the first batch towards a holier purpose. That is exactly the idea we have developed; it is this holier purpose that our nation had in mind from the start, before entering the land of Israel. And it is this holier purpose that we are meant to be cognizant of throughout every day of our lives.

There is no question, Israel is the most spiritual and uplifting piece of land on this earth. But not because of it’s beaches and nice scenery. We have to understand that the land of Israel was given to us for a greater intention. If we allow ourselves to lose sight of that goal, then we’ll miss the point entirely. May we truly develop the greater understanding of what Israel really means to us, and may we fulfill the saying B’Shana Haba B’Yerushaliym (Next year in Jerusalem)!

Good Shabbos,

NZL

Among the many deep facets of this week’s parshah, there’s an idea that is worth noting. In the Talmud (a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history) we find a discussion concerning Rosh Hashannah. An opinion in the Talmud states that Rosh Hashannah is designated as the new year for judgement; meaning, that at the beginning of the year (on Rosh Hashannah) heavenly judgement is already issued regarding what will occur in the (upcoming) year’s end. The Talmud brings a verse from the Torah to solidify its statement:

“…from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.” [Deutoronomy: 11: 12]

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At the beginning of this week’s parshah, Moshe recounts before the Jewish nation how he begged Hashem (God) to allow him to enter the land of Israel (previously, God decreed that Moshe was forbidden from entering, and Moshe was trying to rescind the decree). The following verse describes how Hashem answered him:

“…Do not continue to speak to Me further about this matter. Ascend to the top of the cliff…and see [the entire land of Israel] with your eyes, for you shall not cross this Jordan [river, to enter the land]” [Deuteronomy: 3: 26-27]

If you think about it, Hashem’s reply was rather taunting. Let’s use an example to bring forth our problem: Let’s say you were fasting for a day. Your friend, who wasn’t fasting, surely knew how badly you were thirsting for food. How would you react were he to hold up a piece of pie in your face and say “Hey buddy, I know you can’t eat this right now, but I’ll let you look at it for a while”? This would certainly force your mouth to salivate and increase your desire for food greatly, and the hardest part is that you wouldn’t even be able to satisfy that craving! There couldn’t be anything more annoying and irritating than that!
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