Shabbat Devorim
Shabbat Chazoin (of Vision)
Volume 26, Number 42
Printed Version
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We gratefully acknowledge with thanks all donations received during the past weeks from members and friends:
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Friday, August 5, 2022
Shabbat Candle Lighting (North Miami)*: 7:46 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat: 7:45 PM
*All Other Area: Link (Change Location)
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Saturday, August 6, 2022
Shabbat Chazoin (of Vision):
Torah Reading: Devarim (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22)
Haftorah: Isaiah (1:1-27)
Shacharit: 9:30 AM
Mincha: 7:30 PM
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Eve of Tisha B’Av Fast:
Fast Begins: North Miami*: 8:03 PM
Shabbat Ends: North Miami*: 8:40 PM
It is forbidden to; eat & drink, wear leather shoes,
shower, anoint, and to have marital relations
One should read the Book of Lamentations Link
*All Other Area: Link (Change Location)
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Sunday, August 7, 2022
Fast of Tish B'Av (postponed from Shabbat):
Read the Book of Lamentations Link
All prohibitions apply until tonight (but prohibition of meat & wine applies until Monday morning)
Fast Ends: North Miami*: 8:28 PM
*All Other Area: Link (Change Location)
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"Weakness?!"
-Based on a talk from the Rebbe, Likkutei Sichos, Vol 19, Devarim III
The source of Rashi’s (-Link) commentary is often from a Midrash (-Link), and nevertheless, Rashi is saying something completely different than the Midrashic source of his commentary. The reason being, that Rashi’s commentary is focused only on, “the simple meaning of the verse,” while not so the Midrash. And so it is with Rashi’s comment on the verse (-Deuteronomy 1:11), “May the L-rd G-d of your forefathers add to you a thousandfold as many as you are, and may He bless you, as He spoke concerning you”: “Add to you a thousandfold as many as you are: What is [the purpose of] repeating further [in the verse]: ‘And He will bless you, as He has spoken concerning you?’ They [the Israelites] said to him, ‘Moses, you are limiting our blessings [i.e., our numbers being multiplied only a thousandfold]. The Holy One, blessed is He, already promised to Abraham (-Genesis 13:16), 'so that if a man will be able to count [the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted]!’’ [Moses] replied to them: ‘This [blessing of a thousandfold] is mine, but He will bless you as He spoke concerning you!’” Rashi poses the question on the duplicity within the verse, while the Midrash, giving the same explanation, poses only the Israelites’ question of why Moses is limiting their infinite blessing from G-d to a finite blessing. And the reason for Rashi’s changing the question is because (i) simply speaking it is no wonder that a finite human being can only give a finite blessing, (ii) the term thousandfold, is not specifically limited to the thousand-fold, but a term of infinite, and (iii) G-d’s blessing of the numbers of the stars and the earth is neither infinite, but only, “so that if a man will be able to count,” due to the incredibly large number of the finite amount of stars and sands. And with answers (ii) and (iii) we see that Moses’ blessing is not in contradiction or limiting G-d’s blessings at all, and hence, from Rashi’s approach of the simple meaning of the verse, the question of the Israelites isn’t the issue here. Rather, the question is only concerning the duplicity of Moses’ blessing, “add to you a thousandfold as many as you are,” being followed by, “and may He bless you, as He spoke concerning you.”
Deeper yet, according to the Midrash, the question of the Israelites is as to why Moses is minimizing the number from the numbers of the stars and sands to the number of thousandfold (of 600,000 males from ages 20-60 + women, children and seniors = 2,000,000), which would equal only 2 Billion (vastly less than the amount of stars and sands that exist!), while according to Rashi, their question is why Moses took them from being uncountable (“so that if a man will be able to count”) to countable (2 Billion). Even deeper yet, according to Rashi, what Moses is saying here is that the blessings are actually all from G-d, only that when Moses is speaking of G-d’s blessing, as a finite human being, Moses expresses it in human finite terms of, thousandfold,” which as expressed earlier, is essentially referring to far greater than thousand-fold, but humanly expressed as such.
This leads us to the mystical meaning of Rashi, called the, “Wine of Torah,” as taught by the Arizal (-Link; whose yahrtzeit (-Link) is this week, the 5th of Av, this year coinciding with August 2): Moses (משה -345) has the numerical value of (G-d’s names) E-l Sha-ddai (א-ל שד-י). Now, when you spell out each of the letters of those names (אל"ף למ"ד שי"ן דל"ת יו"ד) you have 999, and with the encompassing energy of the words, you have 1000. Hence, Moses says, “until here is from me,” who is only able to bless with the “(1000 Lights of) Understanding,” but from here further G-d will bless you,” with the (Infinite Light of) Wisdom. The meaning behind this is that even though the infinite blessing of G-d is but a borrowed term of “stars of the heaven and sands of the earth,” nevertheless, the Torah uses this to express an infinite. The reason being because this reflects as it is Above in its spiritual source. In the realm of the (first of the Four Worlds (-Link)) Supernal World of Atzilut, there are the Ten Emanations, which are (Finite; Ten) Vessels through which the Infinite Light shines and manifests. However, above this spiritual world, in the Supernal Crown (-Link) there is no (finite) Vessels, and hence, only the Infinite Light. Hence, the Jewish people, in their own right, are truly Infinite, and it is only because of the Finite Worlds, that their Infinity expresses itself in Borrowed Terms of the Finite (stars and sand). Only that according to the Midrash, G-d’s blessings speak of the Infinite Source of the Israelites in their own right, the Supernal Crown, according to Rashi, G-d’s blessing are from the Emanation of Wisdom of Atzilut, in which there are Vessels, but they are transparent to the Light, while Moses’ blessing is from the Emanation of Understanding, in which the Vessels are confining, only “Thousandfold.”
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"Moses' Blessing and G-d's Blessing"
-Based on a talk from the Rebbe, Likkutei Sichos, Vol 19, Devarim IV
This week’s parsha has Moses giving the Jewish people blessings. On the verse (-Deuteronomy 1:11), “May the L-rd G-d of your forefathers add to you a thousandfold as many as you are, and may He bless you, as He spoke concerning you,” the Midrash (-Devarim Rabbah 1:13 (also in Rashi -see closing paragraph)) comments, “The Israelites said to him, ‘Our teacher Moses, The Holy One, blessed is He did not give a limit to our blessings, and you are saying, ‘a thousandfold?’’ He said to them, ‘That which I blessed you, of my own I blessed you, when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes, He bless you as He spoke to you (a limitless blessing).’” The question is, being that the rule is (-Baba Kama 74a), “Within 200 is 100,” and hence, there is no need to mention the 100, then why did Moses bless the Israelites at all, when his blessing of thousandfold is already included in G-d’s limitless blessing?
There are commentaries who answer, (i) G-d’s blessing is contingent on when we are, “Doing G-d’s will,” while Moses’ blessing is for when we temporarily aren’t doing G-d’s will, and (ii) Moses’ blessing is for now, while G-d’s blessing is for when Moshiach (-Link) will come (“when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes”), when (-Hose 2:1), “And the number of the children of Israel shall be…, which shall neither be measured nor counted.”
Simply speaking, the question is that Moses’ blessing is nullified, hence, non-existing, in the face of G-d’s blessing. However, the fact that Rashi and the Midrash are explaining the answer that Moses is giving the Israelites, they are saying that even when G-d’s blessing is here, Moses’ blessing still exists (unlike the answer of the commentaries that assign G-d’s blessing and Mosss’ blessing for different times (now vs. when Moshiach comes) and situations (when we are doing the will of G-d vs. when we temporarily aren’t)). To understand this: Being that G-d desires that all blessings be drawn through our service to G-d, and hence, the blessing of G-d (limitless) is being drawn through our, “Doing G-d’s will,” and Moses’ blessing (limited) is being drawn through our service of, “Not doing G-d’s will.” Let us understand the inner-dimensions to the “Doing,” and the, “Not Doing,” of, “G-d’s Will.”
In the verse of Hosea, “And the number of the children of Israel shall be… nor counted” we are saying one concept, in which, “the number (limited),” of the Israelites will be, “nor counted,” (limitless). The Counted and the Nor Counted are found in our service to G-d as well. “Counted,” is our service of 613 Mitzvot, upon which we are commanded (-Deuteronomy 4:2), “Do not add to the word which I command you, nor diminish from it,” while the, “nor counted,” refers to Teshuvah (Return; Repentance), which reaches above and beyond the limitations of the supernal “Chain of Evolution.” Deeper yet, being that we are speaking of one concept in which the “counted” is the “nor counted,” hence, even through the service of the “Counted” 613 Mitzvot we are drawing the “Nor Counted” Infinite Will of G-d. Only that in the “Counted” 613 Mitzvot we are experiencing but the limited service, confined within the boundaries and details of the specific mitzva, while in the “Nor Counted” Teshuvah we are experiencing the bursting through boundaries, repenting and connecting to our infinite essence, and from there connecting to the Infinite Master of the Will.
To understand this better, the 613 Mitzvot are the Infinite Will of the Infinite G-d, however, G-d desired they descend into our finite world and into our finite capacity of service to G-d as finite precepts, with finite rules, details and boundaries, so that the Infinite Light be clothed within Finite Vessels. Hence, these boundaries are essence Boundaries, which means that they are not due to forced outer impositions, (unlike the limitations of creatures, in land creatures versus sea creatures, in their forced environments, imposed upon them by genetics and survival adaptation) but come from within the free Infinite Will of G-d itself, and hence, in essence, isn’t a boundary or limitation at all! And through this is fulfilled G-d’s ultimate desire (-Tanchumah, Naso 16; Tanya Chapter 36), “To have made for Himself a dwelling (Nor Counted) in the below (Counted).”
This is possible only for G-d, Who in His omnipotence, can have measurement (Counted; limited) be the experience of non-measurement (Nor Counted; limitless). Hence, Moses’ finite blessing, it is not nullified when G-d gives His infinite blessing, for this is G-d’s desire, to have the infinite (“Himself a dwelling”) be clothed specifically in the finite (“the below”). Hence, first comes Moses and gives the finite blessing (“thousandfold”), and then G-d comes and makes that very finite blessing the vessel for His infinite blessing.
Being that G-d’s desire is that it all be, “Of the below, for the below, by the below,” hence, the primary denominator is the below, therefore, even though G-d’s blessing of having “for Himself a dwelling in the below,” is a gift from Above, nevertheless (-Gittin 50b), “were it not for some benefit that the donor derives from the recipient, he would not have given him the gift.” Therefore, not only is Moses’ limited blessing (finite manifestation of the mitzvot for the below to be able to perform them) making possible the ultimate desire of G-d (“for Himself a dwelling in the below,” specifically “Of the below, for the below, by the below,”) but even deeper yet, Moses’ blessing (Counted; our service from below) completes G-d’s blessing (gift) from Above, for, “were it not for some benefit that the Donor derives from the recipient (Moses’ finite blessing, making possible our service to G-d), He would not have given him the gift (G-d’s infinite blessing, allowing us to have Him dwell here below).”
This is all the “wondrous secrets” within our Rashi. However, Rashi (unlike the Midrash) is dedicated to the, “Simple meaning of the verse.” Hence, what Rashi is telling us on a simple level is, “The Holy One, blessed is He, already promised to Abraham (-Genesis 13:16), ‘So that if a man will be able to count [the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted]!” that G-d’s blessing here is that of to Abraham, which is connected to the blessing of (-Numbers 23:10), “Who can count the dust of Jacob,” which Rashi there defines: “As the Targum [Onkelos (-Link)] renders,” who in turn defines this to be, “In the times of the World to Come (Messianic times).”
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Parsha for Devarim
The book of Deuteronomy finds the Jews on the eastern side of the Jordan River. On Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the month of) Shevat Moses presents an account of the events they experienced during their forty years in the wilderness.
He recounts how as a result of their great numbers he could no longer mediate all their disputes alone. Thus a systematic hierarchy of justices was introduced. Then he recalls that coming close to the Promised Land the entire nation suggested that spies be sent to scout the Land of Canaan. They returned with a pessimistic report that angered G-d. Consequently the entire generation above the age of twenty were doomed to die in the wilderness, save for Joshua and Calev. He continues: Eventually we traveled northbound towards Canaan, circumventing the land of Edom, Moab and Amon. Reaching the land of Cheshbon, ruled by Sichon, we offered to pass peacefully through their land and buy food and water from the host country. Our presence was met with hostilities, thus we engaged in battle and defeated Sichon. A familiar fate befell Bashan under the dominance of Oag. Their lands were given to the tribe of Reuben, Gad and half of Menasha, subject to them leading the nation in battle to conquer the Land of Canaan.
To Joshua he said you have seen what G-d has done to these two kings, so too He will do to all kingdoms that you will encounter. Do not fear, for G-d wages battle for you.
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Birthday
8 Menachem Av David Reznik
9 Menachem Av Ron Gottesman
12 Menachem Av Rabbi Leible Schapiro
13 Menachem Av Tamar Reznik
14 Menachem Av Leible Lipszyc
14 Menachem Av Chaya Vartikovskaia
Yahrtzeit
10 Menachem Av Paul Sterental
Husband of Gloria Sterental, brother of Rosi Behar, a”h,
and Elena Salomon, & Silvia Levy
11 Menachem Av Dora Sakirsky
Mother of Jessica Yusupov
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The Jewish Center - Chabad Lubavitch of North Miami | Website
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