10 Av, 5784 - Tikkun Olam 47

on August 14, 2024

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 10 Av, 5784
Parsha Va-‘Ethannan – “I requested”: (Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11)
Fourth Portion: Deuteronomy 5:1 – 5:18

Good morning! This is part two of my thoughts this morning. We are turning more towards light of the full moon! May the new birth be revealed for us! Sunday night at Sundown (8/14) is when Tu B’Av (15^th of Av) begins. We will speak more as we approach that. This is the time to “request” what you want.

Let’s dig in:

5:1And Moses called all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, and learn them, and observe [them] to do them.

This is the Shema – the famous Jewish prayer we say multiple times a day. Listen. Be aware. Pay attention.

2The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.

3Not with our forefathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, we, all of whom are here alive today.

4Face to face, the Lord spoke with you at the mountain out of the midst of the fire:

So this is an interesting passage. Moses is connecting what happened with the forefathers who stood at Horeb – who were alive and all died out – Moses is saying – this is for US. Those who were alive. Even though our physical bodies may not have been at the mountain? Hashem was speaking to US.

And Moses is reminding us – HE was there so HE knows. And in case we need to hear it again? Here we go:

5(and I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to tell you the word of the Lord, for you were afraid of the fire, and you did not go up on the mountain) saying,

6″I am the Lord your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

7You shall not have the gods of others in My presence.

8You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness which is in the heavens above, which is on the earth below, or which is in the water beneath the earth.

9You shall not prostrate yourself before them, nor worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a zealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.

10And [I] perform loving kindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and to those who keep My commandments.

11You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not hold blameless anyone who takes His name in vain.

12Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord your God commanded you.

13Six days may you work, and perform all your labor,

14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall perform no labor, neither you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your ox, your donkey, any of your livestock, nor the stranger who is within your cities, in order that your manservant and your maidservant may rest like you.

15And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God took you out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord, your God, commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

16Honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God commanded you, in order that your days be lengthened, and that it may go well with you on the land that the Lord, your God, is giving you.

17You shall not murder. And you shall not commit adultery. And you shall not steal. And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

18And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Instead of digging into the ten commandments, I just pose the question to us all – if we don’t have a tether or an anchor, this may be a good one? And? Not the way OTHERS have interpreted this – but what the words mean to us.

As Moses is standing there telling everyone this – I imagine the Children of Israel would have all heard this differently – based on how human communication works. That’s what is beautiful about this.

We discussed earlier this week how “words have no meaning other than what we attach to it.” We can argue over what Moses’ intent was, and – we can discuss how this lands with us. The choice is ours.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 8 Av, 5783

Well here we are. The last day before Tisha B’Av. Tonight at sundown begins the solemn day.

One of the things for Tisha B’Av is we don’t study the Torah. We focus on a few passages dealing with the destruction of the temple. My plan for tomorrow is to fast not only from food – but from study. I plan on reposting my lesson from Tisha B’Av from a year ago. Just as a heads up.

As “dark” as a day the 9 of Av is, there is ALSO Jewish thought that messiah will be born on this day as well. So there is always light and hope even in the darkest spaces.

Let’s dig into today’s portion. There is a lot to discover!

Today’s portion focuses on the 10 commandments. I want to hone in on this key from Rabbi Menachem Schneerson:

“God’s purpose in creating the world was to enable a fusion of spirit and matter. Since God created the world in a manner that it is predominantly material, our task–generally speaking–is to infuse it with a higher purpose, and to reveal the inner, spiritual core which pulsates within every one of God’s creations.

There is, however, a danger in “overdosing” the world with too much spirit, beyond what it can comfortably absorb. We must never forget that the goal is a unity of matter and spirit, where the physical world is “at home” with its Creator. We need to invigorate and inspire our world. not burn or blind it with a light that is too intense.

As we work towards our own individual spiritual liberation and freedom, the “boundaries” created by the 10 commandments give us space to get our feet under us.

The idea of this journey for me has been around healing. Healing my inner self – doing the work to find self compassion, self love, self kindness. As I have mentioned previously, I am entering into a new segment of the journey. Now it is learning to discover how to interact with others.

I take to heart the danger of “overdosing” the world with too much spirit – beyond what it can comfortably absorb. I have been “accused” of being too intense for others. I have often lost the purpose and goal of the energy and spirit of liberation and freedom – unity of matter and spirit. Where the spaces I create (and co-create with others) feel “at home” instead of a place that feels anxious, produces fear, and avoids grounding.

The overarching principal is love. And love is a powerful force. So powerful we can’t always comfortably absorb it. And when we discover it for ourselves, and begin our healing journey, we can blind our world with a light that is too intense. That is counter to our goal. To invigorate and inspire.

I talk a lot about the mantra “heal ourselves, heal the world.” I think I am learning through the Torah (and my relationship with Hashem) the space between healing ourselves and healing the world. This is both exciting and terrifying. And that feels grounding to me.

Those are my thoughts – especially as we enter into Tisha B’Av. I am curious to know your thoughts.

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 13 Av, 5782

Good morning! Let’s jump right into the Torah!

Today, Moses is restating the Ten Commandments.

Moses calls to all of Israel and says to them:

“Sh’ma Y’israel” which means “Listen Israel!”

He says to be careful. Observe them.

He tells them God made a covenant with them at Sinai. He didn’t just make this covenant with our parents and grandparents. It was with us too!

At Sinai – God spoke from the fire – face to face. Moses stood between God and the people.

Moses says “God spoke to you, saying;”

Let’s stop for a moment. Rabbi Menachem Schneerson has some interesting thoughts:

From where do we derive the sensitivity to achieve this difficult balance?

The answer: from the two accounts of the Ten Commandments written in the Torah. The first account (Exodus, ch. 19-20) where God’s voice shattered the heavens and the earth, gives us the ability to break through the barriers between spiritual and physical, and saturate the mundane world with Divinity. The repetition of the Ten Commandments here, was said by Moses, and was thus articulated in a more human voice. This gives us the strength to bring Divine revelation to the world harmoniously, respecting the limitations that exist and yet gradually inspiring the world to overcome its limitations and become a “home for God below.” (End quote)

This is a really powerful message. The goal isn’t being such a bright light that the world can’t see. The goal is balance. Fusing spirit and matter. Blending them together for a purpose.

This is counter to many of our spiritual instincts, for sure.

Let’s get back to the Torah. The rest of the portion goes through the Ten Commandments:

God is God. He took us out of slavery – the land of Egypt
Do not possess idols. Do not bow down to them. God is a jealous God, but He acts kindly to those who love Him and those who keep doing good for two thousand generations.
Don’t take God’s name in vain
Guard the sabbath to sanctify it. Rest. On the seventh day (which is Friday night to Saturday night in any credible understanding of what the seventh day is/was).
Honor your father and mother. So that our days may be lengthened.
Do not murder
Do not commit adultery
Do not steal
Do not hear false witness against your neighbor
Do not covet your neighbors wife: do not desire your neighbors stuff.