Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 25 Sivan, 5783

Provoking others.  Today’s theme from the portion (that I am picking up) is really a consideration is how is our journey provoking others?

We can convince ourselves we “don’t care what other people think.”  But the truth is our bodies feel it.  When someone talks badly behind our backs – we can cognitively disassociate with it – and convince ourselves it doesn’t matter.  But if we get out of our head in the moment, and feel our bodies – and feel our hearts?  We care.  The only way we can convince ourselves we don’t care is to tell our bodies – “you are not us.”  We have to separate ourselves from our emotions and feelings.

And let me be clear.  That is a coping strategy – ESPECIALLY when it comes to trauma.

But if the question is – how are we provoking others?  My opinion is – we need to start by asking ourselves – how are we provoking ourselves?

I wrote this last year regarding today’s portion:

What I glean from the question is that provoking our fellow humans to either trust God or mistrust Him is something He cares about. So an additional reflective question for us might be; “how are we provoking others to view God? Are we provoking curiosity? Empathy? Judgment? Compassion? Freedom?”

I take this within and ask myself – do I reflect within and provoke for myself:

• Curiosity?
• Empathy?
• Judgment?
• Compassion?
• Freedom?
• Condemnation?
• Exclusion?

The answer to this question within will directly impact how we engage with others.  If I am judging and condemning myself? I am likely going to do that with others.  And – it may result in judging others favorably – because I see them as “better” and “more worthy” than I see myself.  But that is still judgment.

Again – if we are going to heal the world, the work starts within us.

What do you think?

My commentary from a year ago.

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 23 Sivan, 5782

Good morning!

I have some reflective questions for you before jumping into the Torah:

1. Ask yourself “how are you doing?” And just sit and listen. Journal if you feel compelled.
2. What does your body need? Think about your senses- what you can see, what you can touch, what you can hear, what you can smell. Ask your body, “what do you need?”

These two questions this morning have been incredibly helpful in my meditation and journaling. My body is screaming at me because of some of the processing we’ve been doing together (my brain and my body are deconstructed at the moment). I’m now more fully aware of what I need. And that’s empowering!

Ok. Lets dig into the Torah!

God has heard Moses and is having the Israelites tried around and go back into the desert.

And we get a new piece of the puzzle.

God asks Moses and Aaron a rhetorical question; “How much longer will I hear this evil congregation of spies who are provoking the Jewish people against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel whom they provoke against Me!”

So God is aware of the IMPACT of what the spies are saying on the relationship He has with his people. In the end, the spies demonstrate a lack of trust in God.

It is interesting to me that the Torah records God asking Moses and Aaron a rhetorical question. Why? Why would he do that? Maybe it’s for us?

What I glean from the question is that provoking our fellow humans to either trust God or mistrust Him is something He cares about. So an additional reflective question for us might be; “how are we provoking others to view God? Are we provoking curiosity? Empathy? Judgment? Compassion? Freedom?”

God then tells Moses He will give the spies what they asked for when they said “if only we had died in the desert.” He tells Moses that their children (whom they said would be captured) will see the freedom of the promised land. The kids will bear the brunt of the sin of the spies and the people corresponding to the days they spied the promised land. 40 years. 1 year for each day.

And then we learn the 10 spies who gave the report and didn’t trust God died right away from the plague. Only Joshua and Caleb survived.

Now. You’d think this was enough for the children of Israel to get it. Nope. People heard all of what Moses told them about what God said. And the next morning they went up the mountain to go to the promised land on their own. They left the camp, and the ark and the tent of meeting and went up to the mountain to try to enter the land. And the Amelekites and Canaanites who lived on the mountain came down and thrashed them and thwarted them. They were destroyed.

Again; we can’t take matters into our own hands; but we need to trust the process God is taking us through.

Today’s portion then closes with God telling Moses to tell the children of Israel what sacrifices He wants from them.

The placing of this is interesting. It basically reassures the people that they WILL enter the land despite all of the judgment and what just transpired. The declaration that the current generation of adults will die, and the spies dying immediately, turning around from the promised land, etc.

The sacrifices were just that – sacrificial. AND. They were encouraging.

What are your thoughts?