Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 20 Iyar, 5783. 35th Day of the Omer

Today’s Omer Theme is “Malchut of Hod” which means “Dignity of Humility.”

From Chabad:

Walking humbly is walking tall. Dignity is the essence of humility and modesty. The splendor of humility is majestic and aristocratic. Humility that suppresses the human spirit and denies individual sovereignty is not humility at all. Does my humility make me feel dignified? Do I feel alive and vibrant?

Exercise for the day: Teach someone how humility and modesty enhance human dignity.

The quote “The splendor of humility is majestic and aristocratic” catches my heart for some reason.  I had to look up the word “aristocratic.  Mainly because it has a negative connotation in my brain, and I am curious about that and why?

It comes back to this idea of “royalty” and “majesty” and “power.”  Here is the definition of aristocracy: “the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.”

Classism.  This has been used to exclude people from power.  I think I can associate this idea of humility as being a “doormat.”  I love the clarification chabad makes here though: “Humility that suppresses the human spirit and denies individual sovereignty is not humility at all.”

YES.

How often do we suppress our own human spirit and in doing so we suppress the human spirit in others by denying them their own individual sovereignty?  This is the idea behind colonization, isn’t it?  Our ego suppresses others by denying them their own sovereignty.  And when we look at aristocracy on this earth?  We have LOTS of concerns.

But what might aristocracy look like in a spiritual sense? What is a “spiritual aristocracy” in the sense of love?  What might it look like?

I imagine this idea where all of us are spiritual beings – ALL belonging to the spiritual aristocracy.  We’ve all come here as spiritual aristocrats.  We are the highest souls in a universal society.  In this aristocracy – there is no “lower class” anywhere.  Almost like the human body.  The white blood cells belong to the aristocracy of the body, but so do the white blood cells. The intestine. The eyes. The brain.  It’s all the aristocracy because in our bodies – they are of the highest class to keep us alive and breathing on this planet.  Everyone has a title or office. Everyone has a role to play – spiritually.

Our spiritual journey isn’t BECOMING a part of aristocracy like we are somehow joining a special club – but instead there is a dignified humility to realizing we ALREADY BELONG to this spiritual aristocracy.

And our response? To start respecting the sovereignty of others.

I think of this in terms of help.  If someone doesn’t believe they need help, and I believe they do. Do I help them? Do people have their own sovereignty?  Now in the case of children, or those who may not understand these pieces, we may have to make their decisions – but hopefully with the goal (like with our children) of them becoming sovereign adults.

In Judaism, this is what the bar/bat mitzvah process seems to be connected to.  It’s making a SOVEREIGN decision to join the family of Jews around the world – past, present, and future – and connect into this sovereignty. A lot of pressure is put on children to become bar/bat mitzvah.  Almost to the point sovereignty is disrespected.  But once the child has a bat/bar mitzvah – the pressure is off.  And the true freedom begins.

A tough question for any 12/13 year old becoming bar/bat Mitzvah is “what will you do as a Jew AFTER your bat mitzvah?”  Yes, the pressure is off.  But now you get to be free to explore your faimly.  What will you do with this freedom? What will you do in joining this spiritual aristocracy?  What role will you play in shaping this aristocracy for others?

The spiritual journey is one of discovering our own sovereignty, and learning to respect the sovereignty of others.  This is what the dignity of humility seems to be about.

Ok – looking at our torah portion today – it’s once again interesting that in our double parsha, we only have one portion to read today.

As I reflect on the portion today, I see how the Torah, as it closes out Leviticus, teaches us what happens when we live “outside” the aristocracy we belong to.  We have the freedom to do so – but there are natural consequences for this.  And communally – if we were to envision a “collective consciousness” we can see the results of a society – globally – living outside the boundaries of the direction of the aristocracy.  We are NOT living like Royalty.  And Royalty has been used to OPPRESS our humanity.  This is the result of living outside the boundaries.  In my opinion.  What about you?  What do you think?

My commentary from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 23 Iyar, 5782

Today is the 38th day of the Omer!

Ok friends, buckle up because todays portion is long!

Todays portion starts with produce. The Torah tells us to eat matured produce; which the Torah says will taste better than fresh produce – and because the storehouses are full, eating Mature produce will make room for new produce. Win. Win.

So for the past few days, we’ve been learning about what happens when we follow God’s commands and do the mitzvahs. Today? The rest of what we will study is what happens when we don’t.

Before we dig in; we can look at what is to come as a threat. We can see it as natural consequences as to how Hashem created the earth. The choice in how we approach this says a lot about our perception of Hashem. When a parent says “if you touch the hot stove, you will get burned” that isn’t seen as a threat. Do we approach these mitzvahs in the same manner?

Let’s dig in.

The Torah says if;

1. We do not listen to Hashem
2. Do not perform the mitzvahs
3. If This leads to people believing those who do keep mitzvahs disgusting
4. If this leads to hating Torah scholars who study the mitzvahs
5. If this leads to stopping others from performing mitzvahs
6. If we deny that these are Hashem’s mitzvahs at all
7. And eventually we break Hashem’s covenant…

Then the consequences will be:

1. Hashem will do the same to us
2. He will direct upon us:
3. Panic
4. Inflammation
5. Fever
6. Diseases that cause hopeless longing for a cure
7. Sowing seed in vain
8. We will be struck down by our enemies
9. We will flee from terror but no one will pursue us

Ok. Let’s stop for a minute because Rabbi Schneerson has some interesting thoughts on #2 above:

In truth, these are nothing but blessings. While openly, these verses speak of the very opposite of blessing, there nevertheless exists an inner, subconscious element of the Torah, at which level we read here only of blessings. Through the study of Hasidic teachings, which reveal the subconscious aspects of the soul, we can reach a sublime union with God, at which point we will be able to see through the “disguise” in which these blessings are enclosed and appreciate them for their true worth (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Iyady, 18′ century).

The notion that a sublime blessing may be expressed through negative language is not of

uniquely Hasidic origin, it is found in the Babylonian Talmud (Moed Katan 9a-b). When Rabbi Simeon son of Yohai sent his son, Rabbi Eleazar, to receive blessings from two of the Sages (Rabbi Jonathan son of Asmai and Rabbi Judah son of Gerim), they responded with what appeared to be a series of curses: “May it be God’s will that you will sow and not reap. That what you bring in will not go out, and what you take out will not come in. That your house will be desolate and your temporary lodgings inhabited. That your table will be disturbed, and that you will not see a new year.”

When Rabbi Eleazar came home and reported what had happened, his father explained:

These are all blessings! “You will sow and not reap” means that you will have children and they will not die.

“What you bring in will not go out,” means that you will bring home daughters-in-law and your sons will not die, so that their wives will not leave again.

“What you take out will not come in,” means that

you will give your daughters in marriage and their husbands will not die, so that your daughters need not come back.

“Your house will be desolate and your temporary lodgings inhabited” because this world is your

“temporary lodging” and the next world is a “home.”

“Your table will be disturbed,” by sons and daughters.

“You will not see a new year” means that your wife will not die and so you will not have to take another wife

Similarly, all the verses in the admonition belie very lofty blessings- blessings so sublime

that they could not be expressed straightforwardly. (End quote).

Wow. I’m chewing on this. How does the negative get turned positive????? Yet it does make sense here!

Ok, back to the passage.

The Torah keeps going. If we still don’t listen while the above is happening, there will be a further (second set of) seven consequences:

1. Hashem will destroy the holy temple
2. The skies will be as dry as an iron, causing a drought
3. The land will exude moisture like copper causing fruits to rot
4. We will work hard on the land but our strength will be in vain
5. Land will not yield produce
6. Earth won’t give nourishment to the trees
7. The trees that do give fruit will not give their fruit to us as they will fall to the ground and rot.

Then if we STILL don’t listen, there are 7 more (third set of) consequences

Instead of listing them out, they are all about wild animals.

And then if we STILL don’t listen, there will be 7 more (4th set of) consequences – dealing with our cities, and major conflicts

And again; seven more (5th set of) consequences: desolating the land completely.

And the Torah explains this- basically if we don’t give the land rest, it will naturally go to a state of rest. This isn’t a judgment with a cosmic hammer per se; it’s the consequence for not following the mitzvahs!

And for those who survive? They will live in fear. We will become lost among the nations.

And still Hashem loves us. There is hope.

Because THEN even after all of that, verse 26:42 says “but I will remember My covenant….”

Once the land atones by making up the sabbatical years we’ve lost? We will be atones for our sins.

All of this was the consequences of not paying attention to Hashem’s rational and suprarational commands.

Hashem closes the portion today and says “despite all the consequences, while they are in their enemies land, I will not despise them and become disgusted by them.”

So even in the worst situation, we will not be completely destroyed.

Whew. This is a lot to take in. What are your thoughts?