Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 28 Elul, 5784
Parsha Ha’Azinu– “Listen”: (Deuteronomy 32:1 – 52)
Third Portion: Deuteronomy 32:13 – 32:18

Good morning. As we start a new month in the sun calendar (October) and we move to the new moon on Wednesday night, we are confronted with a major turning of the page.

What is shifting for you? Let’s bring that to today’s portion. We are in the middle of a song. This song is designed to help us remember when we enter the promised land – so we won’t forget the acts and trust of Hashem.

One of the concepts this morning I am navigating is the differences between safety and loyalty.

You see, safety creates loyalty. However, if we become hyper loyal, we ATTACH safety TO the Loyalty. The source of safety BECOMES loyalty. Instead of checking in on whether we feel safe or not.

This is how cults form. This is how the military operates.

I don’t want my friends to feel loyal as much as I want them to feel safe with me.  The same with my kids.

Hashem wants us to feel safe AND loyal to HIM. And that is what I believe this song is trying to remind us of:

13He made them ride upon the high places of the earth, that they would eat the produce of the field. He let them suck honey from a rock, and oil from the mighty part of the crag.

14The cream of cattle and the milk of sheep, with the fat of lambs and rams of Bashan and he goats, with kidneys of wheat, and it [the congregation of Israel] would drink the blood of grapes [which was] as the finest wine.

The Children of Israel felt safe. They trusted Hashem. They were loyal. However, they felt more SAFE with Hashem than LOYAL to Hashem. So they focused on that safety, and here is where it led them:

15And Jeshurun became fat and rebelled; you grew fat, thick and rotund; [Israel] forsook the God Who made them, and spurned the [Mighty] Rock of their salvation.

16They provoked His zeal with alien worship; they made Him angry with abominations deeds.

So basically, they felt so safe, they just ate what they wanted and became fat.

17They sacrificed to demons, which have no power, deities they did not know, new things that only recently came, which your forefathers did not fear.

18You forgot the [Mighty] Rock Who bore you; you forgot the God Who delivered you.

The Children of Israel felt so safe, they forgot their loyalty. They became LOYAL to things that were not Hashem.

Who or what are we loyal to? Our career? Our job? Ice cream? What?

Where do we feel safe? By ourselves? In our job? Ice cream?

These are questions for us to contemplate.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from the last two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 26 Elul, 5783

Today’s portion continues the song of Ha’ Azinu.  The song to remind us about the promised land.  And today, I want to focus on names.

You see, Jeshurun appears in the song – and it’s another name for Jacob.  Names are powerful, and I think we struggle sometimes with names.  Because names are our identity, aren’t they?

The old father joke – when a kids says “I’m Hungry” and I respond “Hi, Hungry, I’m dad!”  Alludes to this, doesn’t it?

Hungry isn’t an identity.  It’s a feeling. Yet, when we say “I am Hungry” aren’t we taking it on as an identity? It’s a name we are giving ourselves.

“I’m Sad.” Is different than “I feel sad”

“I’m ashamed” is different than “I feel shame.”

“I’m inadequate” is different than “I feel inadequate.”

“I’m happy” is different than “I feel happy.”

Our thoughts connect our feelings instinctually to our identities. We name our feelings by taking the name on FOR OURSELVES.

What a weight to carry with us going into the new year.  I heard a meditation teacher this morning say – “Feel the stress, don’t BE the stress.”  And it has me thinking.

How often do we take on the identity of our feelings and hold onto  feelings instead of letting them go?  This becomes a prison for us, doesn’t it?

“I’m happy.” And then something comes along that brings on feelings of anger or sadness.  “Oh No! I can’t be THOSE because I’m happy. Don’t let those feelings be ME!”

As we enter Rosh Hashanah, let’s let go of the identity connected to our feelings.  Let our feelings just be our feelings in a particular moment.  Feel angry. Feel sadness. Feel happy. Feel stress. Feel inadequate. Feel shame. Feel guilt. Feel it all.  The wide range of human emotions – after all, Hashem gave these emotions to us, didn’t he?

Just don’t BE these emotions. Don’t take on their names.  That is my takeaway from today’s portion.  What are YOUR thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 9 Tishri, 5783

Good morning! We are coming to the final moments of the “Days of Awe” between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If there are things left to deal with going into the rest of the year, now is the time to navigate them. Self reflection is crucial in these moments. Is Hashem crowned King? If He is, Yom Kippur could be a day of joy and celebration within the fasting because we are connected to Him, and know how much He loves us already!

Let’s dig into the Torah portion that will bring us to this sacred of sacred days!

Today we read Deuteronomy 32:13-18

First some context. Remember, this is all a song. This is part of Ha’Azinu which means “listen.” Moses is singing about the past. This is to remind us of the future. Once we achieve freedom and liberation, we need to remember and not forget where we’ve come from!

32:13: He settled them on (the land of Israel), the peak of the earth, so they could eat (its fast-growing) produce of the field. He let them suck honey from (its figs, which grow) from a rock(y, hard crust), and oil from the (olives that grow at the) hard, rock(y ground of Gush Chalav).

32:14: The cream of cattle and the milk of sheep, with the fat of lambs, fattened rams from Bashan and he-goats, with fat kernels of wheat. You will drink the blood of grapes. delicious (wine).

32:15: But Jeshurun became fat and rebelled. You grew fat, rotund and obese. (Israel) forsook the God who made them, and disgraced the Rock of their salvation.

Let’s stop here. Who is Jeshurun? This is the first time in the Torah that this name appears.

There is a lot written about this.

From Wikipedia; “In the Chassidic discourses of the Baal Shem Tov and his students, it is suggested that the word Yeshurun comes from the root “shir”, meaning song or ring, suggesting the circular nature of melodies, i.e. that Jacob’s descendants will sing mystical melodies in the coming redemption.”

Jeshurun can refer to Jacob himself. Or to the children of Jacob. It is a poetic name used in this song.

In Judaism, people do have different names – for example, my Hebrew name is Benjamin Ben Reuben. This was given to me because my English Name “Barton Tyler Miller” doesn’t translate to Hebrew. So Benjamin is my Hebrew name (Ben Reuben is “son of Rueben” – Rueben being my father’s Hebrew name). What is interesting is that Benjamin is the last child born to Jacob (or Jeshurun) and Reuben was the first child born to Israel (or Jacob).

We see, Jacob himself has three names right here; Jacob, renamed Israel, but also named Jeshurun.

There is much more to discuss regarding names (there are other Kabbalistic names as well). But for now, Jeshurun is a poetic name given to Israel- the children of Jacob.

Let’s keep going:

32:16: They made him furious with alien (worship). they made Him angry with abominable acts.

What are these abominable acts?

32:17 They sacrificed to demons, which have no power, deities with which they were not acquainted, new (idols) that just arrived (and were not even known by idolators themselves), which your fathers did not fear.

32:18: You forgot the Rock who gave birth to you. You forgot the God who delivered you (from the womb).

Rabbi Jacob Kranz has an interesting lesson for us to take away from this last verse:

“A man, beleaguered with debt, once asked his friend for advice how to find relief from his creditors’ constant pestering. The friend advised him that whenever the creditors come to collect he should jump around and make strange noises. This would lead the creditors to believe that he has lost his mind and there would be no reason for further contact. The idea seemed to work, and the creditors ceased to harass him.

Some time later he borrowed money from this friend who had advised him regarding the creditors. When the loan was due he began to play the same trick, acting insane. His friend shouted angrily, “You scoundrel! I was the one who gave you this advice to save you from your other creditors, and now you are attempting to use my own advice against me?”

In a similar way, God created man with the ability to forget, for his own benefit, so that he would be distracted from pain and suffering and be able to move forward with life. But man abuses this ability in order to forget God!

This is the message of our verse. You were born with the ability to forget, but you abused this trait and instead, “You forgot the God who delivered you.”

A lot of the message of the Torah is about remembering. When we enter the land of freedom and liberation, we have the power to forget, and the power (Hashem has given us) to remember. How we choose to use this power; what we do with our consciousness- that is up to us.

This song is a reminder, when we enter prosperity, freedom, liberation- Hashem wants us to remember what got us here. Him. The Torah. Each other.

What are your thoughts?

May our fast be meaningful tonight. If you would like the mitzvah of fasting, the goal is to eat dinner before sundown (in Oneonta the fast begins at 6:18pm) and then fast until after sundown on Wednesday (in Oneonta the fast ends at 7:16pm).

The purpose of fasting isn’t NECESSARILY about pain and suffering. It can be about putting aside our earthly and physical needs to prioritize and focus on our spiritual needs. This is a holy day.

I’ll share more tomorrow on Yom Kippur. And the sacrifices that were made each year on behalf of the people Israel; where we get the concept of “scapegoat” from and so much more. We will be taking a break from the song of Ha’Azinu for a day.

Enjoy the last moments of the days of awe. And if there are things you need to ask forgiveness for, this is a great time to do so. And if there are people you need to forgive to clear the junk out of your life, now is a great time to do that as well! Many blessings!

What are your thoughts?