Seeds of Consolation: Open-Eyed Torah for a Friend – Patheos
Posted By admin on August 13, 2022
By Naomi Gurt Lind
Parashat Vaetchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)
Parashat Vaetchananbegins with Moshe deep in his feelings, as he recalls pleading with God to be allowed to enter into the Promised Land. He has devoted his life to his people, has endured hardship and frustration, conquered self-doubt and overwork, only to find that at the end of his life he will not get to see the task come to fruition. InDeuteronomy 3:25, early in the parashah, he says:
Please let me cross, so I can see the good land which is across the Jordan, that good mountain, and Lebanon besides.
You can hear in the first word of this verse ebrah na the way his plea almost catches in his throata sob, maybe, or the return of the stammer he overcame to grow into leadership. This ishardfor him. Letting go is so hard.
When the answer to his supplication comes back from God, the same root lettersayin,bet,reshappear:
And God was cross with me, on your account, and would not hear me.And God said to me, You are too much. Dont say another word to Me about this matter.
Moshe never gets the answer he is hoping for; his transgression (aveirah, anotherayin-bet-reshword) is deemed too great. Nonetheless, he composts his devastation at the lost opportunity and returns to his task. He doesnt get to cross over, but nonetheless, he teaches us how. Sometimes disruptionseven catastrophic onescan point the way.
This seems an apt message at this moment in the Jewish calendar.Parashat Vaetchananis always closely paired withTisha bAv, the holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temples along with many other calamities throughout Jewish history.Tisha bAvis the culmination of the season of admonition in our liturgical calendar, which traces the mounting horror of the three weeks from 17Tammuzto 9Avin the year 70 CE, as Roman invaders breached the walls of Jerusalem, laid siege, and eventually reduced the Second Temple to rubble.
Our observance ofTisha bAvis leavened, finally, in the afternoon hours, when tradition teaches thatMoshiach(The Messiah) is born. The seeds of consolation are planted in the soil of the worst catastrophes, watered with our tears. Within the week comesShabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort, and we are making our waysobered, changedtoward wholeness again. It is our job to sift through the ashes of the ruined city and find a reason to go on.
Parashat Vaetchananis bathed in resilience and faith. Despite his disappointment, Moshe takes up the thread of instructing the Israelites in how to acquit themselves to the longed-for privilege that he will never share in. He reminds them of mistakes along the way and of the slow-acting reward of staying true to core beliefs. InDeuteronomy 4:3, we read about the fate of some Israelites who backslid into idolatry. By contrast, the next verse teaches:
But you who stuck with Adonai your God, each and every one of you is alive today.
This verse, familiar from our Torah Service, bespeaks the value of holding on in faith when things seem to be crumbling all around you. Faith keeps us alive as a people, even as individuals die. Holding onto our essential beliefs, as articulated inDeuteronomy 5:6-18in (Aseret Hadibrot, commonly translated as The Ten Commandments), is fundamental both to our relationship with God and to our survival.
Then in chapter 6 we encounter possibly the most famous words in all of Jewish tradition, a stark declaration of faith, as succinct as a haiku (which it also is):
Listen, O Israel! Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.(Deuteronomy 6:4)
In the Torah scrolls, there is something interesting with the calligraphy: theayinof the word shema and thedaletof the word echad are larger than the other letters. There are no accidents or mistakes in Torah, only opportunities for deeper meaning to emerge. What could be behind these oversized letters? What magic do they hold?
Chizkuni (13th century France) suggests that theayinis a reference to the way God created the world. Usinggematria(Hebrew numerology), Chizkuni links theayinto the number 70, and places each element of creation into a long chain of seventies: Israel is one of seventy nations, which is one seventieth of the number of four-legged beasts on the earth, which is one seventieth of the number of birds, and so on. Chizkuni writes, in part:
The Blessed Holy One engages in creation with ayin ayin.
Rereading Chizkuni, we might say that God created the world with both eyes open (another meaning forayinis eye)knowing that there would be pain and brokenness, and that through faith, humanity would fumble through and cope. With our eyes open, we can see the struggles of others. With our eyes open, we can see where our society can be more righteous. With our eyes open, we can see the beauty of this incredible planet, and pledge ourselves to treat it with tenderness.
Rabbinical student Lea Andersen, who died just a few days ago, was one of the most open-eyed people I have ever encountered. A gifted teacher, a warm pastoral presence, a passionate activist and more, Lea turned away from nothing and nobody. Her fierce and spacious Torah was a gift to the world, and those of us who knew her and learned from her, even a little, are sobered and changed because of it. Tragically, Lea will not see her lifes task come to fruition. I offer these teachings in her memory and in the hopes of inspiring more of us to see the struggles of others, see where our society can be more righteous, see the beauty of this incredible planet. Most of all, may we pledge ourselves to treat itand one anotherwith tenderness.
Naomi Gurt Lind is a rising Shanah Gimel student at theRabbinical School of Hebrew College, and is looking forward to rabbinic internships this year with 2Life Communities and Betenu Congregation. Naomi is an Innovation Lab grant recipient, a member of the inaugural cohort of Mayyim Rabbim fellows atMayyim HayyimCommunity Mikveh, and the editor of the 70 Faces of Torah blog. When she has a free moment, she enjoys solving crossword puzzles (in pencil!), writing divrei Torah on her blog, Jewish Themes, and playing Bananagrams with her spouse and their two genius children.
Here is the original post:
Seeds of Consolation: Open-Eyed Torah for a Friend - Patheos
- iOS 17's Notes has a Hebrew typing problem, as with other right-to ... - PhoneArena - September 26th, 2023
- Vast Library of Congress Hebrew collection published online for the ... - Jewish Insider - September 26th, 2023
- Learning about the high holidays at Chabad Hebrew School - liherald.com - September 26th, 2023
- The beauty of Hebrew over three millennia of Jewish civilisation - The Jewish Chronicle - September 26th, 2023
- Israel allocates NIS 30m to fund projects for AI applications in Hebrew and Arabic - The Times of Israel - September 26th, 2023
- Pursue Excellence: BA in English at The Hebrew University of ... - The Jerusalem Post - September 26th, 2023
- The News in Hebrew (24.9.23) - SBS - September 26th, 2023
- Is the Hebrew Inscription on This Crossbow a Secret Code? (Video) - Ancient Origins - September 26th, 2023
- The News in Hebrew (17.9.23) - SBS - September 18th, 2023
- Hebrew Institute of Riverdale collects 100 pints of blood in one day - The Riverdale Press - September 18th, 2023
- About Hebrew | Yale University Library - September 14th, 2023
- COLUMN: Hebrew School of the Arts off to a good start - Yoursun.com - September 14th, 2023
- New Year, Future Food from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem ... - ISRAEL21c - September 14th, 2023
- Crafty young ladies at the Chabad of Venice Hebrew School of the Arts - Yoursun.com - September 14th, 2023
- Renovation forces Hebrew Academy girls to start year at Wiley Middle School - Cleveland Jewish News - September 14th, 2023
- Lincolnwood receptive to Hebrew Theological College plan. - Chicago Tribune - September 1st, 2023
- From the Newsletter | Kohenet's Final Ordination of Hebrew ... - Moment Magazine - September 1st, 2023
- Hebrew University professor: Calling Israel apartheid is 'describing ... - Press TV - September 1st, 2023
- The Art of Repentance: A Journey into the Hebrew Month of Elul - The Jewish News of Northern California - August 26th, 2023
- A Guide to Hebrew - 10 facts, key phrases and the alphabet - August 3rd, 2023
- Hebrew Wikipedia - Wikipedia - August 3rd, 2023
- An armed man tried walking into a Jewish school in Memphis and opened fire outside when he couldnt get in, police say - CNN - August 3rd, 2023
- Kylie Jenner gave her son a Hebrew name. But its gibberish - Forward - August 3rd, 2023
- What we know and don't know about the Margolin Hebrew ... - Daily Memphian - August 3rd, 2023
- Sweden: Woman burns sheet of paper instead of Hebrew Bible in ... - Arutz Sheva - August 3rd, 2023
- And You Shall Bless | Hebrew College Wendy Linden - Patheos - August 3rd, 2023
- Biblical Hebrew - Wikipedia - July 18th, 2023
- The Hebrew Word of the Week is coming your way! - Chabad.org - July 18th, 2023
- The Paradoxical Politics of the Hebrew Bible Mosaic - Mosaic - July 18th, 2023
- SFJFF: 'Rabbi on the Block' follows struggle of first female Hebrew ... - The Jewish News of Northern California - July 18th, 2023
- Korean, Hebrew and Tamil: Why the global history of our Dravidian past is unexplored - The Indian Express - July 18th, 2023
- New Book Utilizes Ancient Hebrew and Current Scientific Evidence ... - goskagit.com - July 18th, 2023
- 50 Torah Quotes From the Hebrew Bible - Everyday Power - July 18th, 2023
- The News in Hebrew (16.7.23) - SBS - July 18th, 2023
- Hebrew Keyboard - - Type Hebrew Online - BRANAH.COM - July 14th, 2023
- New program aims at fostering the art of Hebrew translation - The Jerusalem Post - July 14th, 2023
- Hebrew language - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - July 9th, 2023
- The Price of Peace | Hebrew College Wendy Linden - Patheos - July 5th, 2023
- Sign Up to Get the Hebrew Word of the Week - Chabad.org - July 3rd, 2023
- The story of Robert Burg and his WWII Hebrew Bible - St. Louis Jewish Light - July 3rd, 2023
- Hebrew-Style Thank You to the Church that did VBS - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman - July 3rd, 2023
- Einstein archives get new home at Hebrew University - The Times of Israel - June 19th, 2023
- Turkey recovers 1100-year-old Hebrew Bible in smuggling raids - Al-Monitor - June 19th, 2023
- Clearmind Medicine and SciSparc Partner with Hebrew University of ... - Best Stocks - June 19th, 2023
- Just as the Siesta Disappears, Hebrew Finally Has Its Own Word For ... - Mosaic - June 12th, 2023
- Hebrew U Archaeologists Discover Ancient Tiny Flutes that Imitate ... - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 12th, 2023
- Of Comings, Goings, and Jewish Goodbyes | Hebrew College ... - Patheos - June 12th, 2023
- Singing in Hebrew from Rossi to Tedesco - The Boston Musical Intelligencer - June 10th, 2023
- How Hebrew shapes Jewish thinking - JNS.org - June 10th, 2023
- Hebrew school students celebrate year with awards and gymnastics - The Chronicle - June 10th, 2023
- See the Brandeis Hebrew Academy at the Israel parade - liherald.com - June 10th, 2023
- How an Attempt to Convey the Hebrew Bible's Beauty Spoke to ... - Mosaic - June 10th, 2023
- Hebrew Commenary to the Gospel: Three Names of One God ... - Exaudi - June 10th, 2023
- A Guide to Hebrew - 10 facts about the Hebrew language - May 9th, 2023
- Book of Hebrews Overview - Insight for Living Ministries - April 30th, 2023
- Hebrew alphabet - Wikipedia - March 27th, 2023
- 1,100-year-old nearly complete Hebrew biblical manuscript will soon go up for auction - WTVC - March 24th, 2023
- Freie Universitt and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem collab on Joint Winter School on Digital Humanities emerges success - India Education Diary - March 16th, 2023
- Hebrew Bible | Definition, Books, & History | Britannica - February 27th, 2023
- "Not everything is of coincidence": Pfizer meaning in Hebrew goes viral in wake of Grammys sponsorship - Sportskeeda - February 13th, 2023
- Hebrew alphabet | writing system | Britannica - February 4th, 2023
- How to Learn Hebrew | My Jewish Learning - January 23rd, 2023
- Yahweh | YHWH, Adonai, Elohim, Meaning, & Facts | Britannica - January 23rd, 2023
- Washington Hebrew Congregation to Pay Nearly $1M in Lawsuit Over Child Care Safety Laws - NBC4 Washington - December 31st, 2022
- Have you paid attention to the Hebrew word President Nelson keeps teaching about? - LDS Living - October 1st, 2022
- Debates about migration have never been simple just look at the Hebrew Bible - Religion News Service - October 1st, 2022
- It's Jewish New Year: but what is Rosh Hashanah? - Euronews - October 1st, 2022
- Islam And Judaism Can Bring Peace To The Middle East OpEd - Eurasia Review - October 1st, 2022
- Opinion: The antisemitism was real in 1950s Milwaukee I was there and I remember - The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle - October 1st, 2022
- Assemblies of God (USA) Official Web Site | Jesus Made Me Kosher Conversations - AG News - October 1st, 2022
- When is Yom Kippur 2022? What is the Jewish holiday? What to know - USA TODAY - October 1st, 2022
- Chabad of Northeast Portland celebrates High Holy Days and a new home - Here is Oregon - October 1st, 2022
- You are never alone - Bonner County Daily Bee - October 1st, 2022
- The Power of With | Hebrew College Wendy Linden - Patheos - October 1st, 2022
- Modern Hebrew - Wikipedia - September 25th, 2022
- Rosh Hashanah 2022: When is it, traditions, greetings and how to wish someone happy new year in Hebrew - Manchester Evening News - September 25th, 2022
- Joseph Smith and Hebrew: How he learned it - Deseret News - September 25th, 2022
- Venices Hebrew School is growing year by year | Religion - YourSun.com - September 25th, 2022
- Jewish communities in Minnesota and around the world set to welcome new year 5783 - CBS News - September 25th, 2022
- This vintage video of a Jewish boys choir has gone viral on TikTok and its a joy to watch - Forward - September 25th, 2022
Comments