Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 27 Iyar, 5784– Day 42 of the Omer
Parsha Be-Midbar – “In The Desert”: (Numbers 1:1 – 4:20)
Third Portion: Numbers 2:1 – 2:34

Good morning! As we wind down Iyar – the month after the “birth” of freedom, let us begin to focus on the new moon coming up in a few days.  It is time to focus our intents on direction.  Where are we going? Where is the Hashem (The Universe, Source, etc) taking us? As we connect with this, our Omer theme winds down the final day of the spiritual idea of connection – bonding.  Today’s theme is the Dignity of Bonding.

From Chabad:

Bonding must enhance a person’s sovereignty. It should nurture and strengthen your own dignity and the dignity of the one you bond with. Does my bonding inhibit the expression of my personality and qualities? Does it overwhelm the one I bond with?

Exercise for the day: Emphasize and highlight the strengths of the one you bond with.

When we connect with another – do we absorb their sovereignty, or do we enhance their sovereignty? Do we want 2 people to become 1, or do we want to join with another 1 and co-create a 3? Bonding is not about contraction. It’s about expansion. It should strengthen our own identity and power. It should ALSO strengthen the OTHER person’s power and identity.

“Losing ourselves in a relationship” is NOT the design.  We are called to be ourselves. Enhance someone else. This is the Dignity of Bonding!  Let’s dig in to Torah:

1God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying:

2The children of Israel shall encamp each man by his division with the flag staffs of their fathers’ house; some distance from the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp.

Today? We are going camping! 12 tribes camping from the Tent of Meeting!

3Those camping in front, to the east, were the legions under the division of the camp of Judah. The prince of the children of Judah was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

4His legion numbered seventy four thousand, six hundred.

5Camping next to him, the tribe of Issachar; the prince of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zu’ar.

6His legion numbered fifty four thousand, four hundred.

7[Then] the tribe of Zebulun, and the prince of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

8His legion numbered fifty seven thousand, four hundred.

9The total sum for the legions of Judah’s camp was one hundred and eighty six thousand, four hundred; these shall journey first.

So. Some interesting tidbits here. East was front. Not north. They were always facing East.

Second – the camps all were “division.” So the Eastern “division” was under Judah. Issachar and Zebulun were with Judah to the east.

Kabbalah teaches that each camp represented:

1. One of the four elements
2. One of the four super Al angels
3. One of the four creatures in the Heavenly Chariot from Ezekiel’s vision
4. One of the four Devine attributes (Chesed-kindness, Gevurah-severity, Tiferet-harmony, and Malkut-sensitivity

When the camps moved, Judah moved first. Kabbalah connects the camp of Judah with:

1. Element= Air
2. Angel= Uriah
3. Creature= Man
4. Attribute= Tiferet (Harmony)

Kabbalah teaches that Judah camped to the east since Judah was a ba’al teshuvah (penitent) and teshuvah is associated with the east.

Let’s keep going:

10The legions under the division of the camp of Reuben were to the south. The prince of the children of Reuben was Elitzur the son of Shedeur.

11His legion numbered forty six thousand, five hundred.

12Camping next to him, the tribe of Simeon. The prince of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

13His legion numbered fifty nine thousand, three hundred.

14[Then] the tribe of Gad. The prince of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Re’uel.

15His legion numbered forty five thousand, six hundred and fifty.

16The total sum for the legions of Reuben’s camp was one hundred and fifty one thousand, four hundred and fifty; they shall be the second to set out.

Next we have the camp of Reuben: which consisted of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. The camp of Reuben moved second after Judah.

Kabbalah connects Reuben with:

1. Element= Water
2. Angel= Michael
3. Creature= Lion
4. Attribute= Chesed – Kindness (Reuben started the efforts to save Joseph)

Reuben camped in the south which is associated with Chesed.

So we first lead with Harmony to the East. Kindness to the South. Then what?

17Then the Tent of Meeting shall set out, [with] the Levite camp, in the center of the other camps. Just as they camp, so shall they travel, each man in his place, by their divisions.

So the Tent is the Heart and Soul. It’s the Holy of Holiest.  It followed Harmony and Kindness. It is interesting we don’t lead with strength here.

What goes first is softness. We lead with tenderness before our hearts are exposed. Let’s keep going:

18The legions under the division of the camp of Ephraim were to the west. The prince of the children of Ephraim was Elishama the son of Amihud.

19His legion numbered forty thousand, five hundred.

20Next to him, the tribe of Manasseh. The prince of the children of Manasseh was Gamliel the son of Pedahzur.

21His legion numbered thirty two thousand, two hundred.

22[Then] the tribe of Benjamin. The prince of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gid’oni.

23His legion numbered thirty five thousand, four hundred.

24The total sum for the legions under the division of the camp of Ephraim was one hundred and eight thousand, one hundred; they shall be the third to set out.

The third camp to the West was the camp of Ephraim; this consisted of Ephraim, Menassaeh, and Benjamin. They moved third.

Kabbalah connects Ephraim with:

1. Element= Earth
2. Angel= Raphael
3. Creature= Eagle
4. Attribute= Malkhut

The camp was in the west since the west is associated with Shekhinah (Divine Presence) which is Malkhut. Malkhut is also the manifestation of the Divine presence.

So we start with Harmony, then Kindness, then our hearts – vulnerability, then we see what manifests. We let Hashem flow with us.

25The legions under the division of the camp of Dan were to the north. The prince of the children of Dan was Ahi’ezer the son of Ammishaddai.

26His legion numbered sixty two thousand, seven hundred.

27Camping next to him was the tribe of Asher. The prince of the children of Asher was Pag’iel the son of ‘Ocran.

28His legion numbered forty one thousand, five hundred.

29[Then] the tribe of Naphtali. The prince of the children of Naphtali was Ahira’ the son of ‘Enan.

30His legion numbered fifty three thousand, four hundred.

31The total sum for the legions under the division of the camp of Dan was one hundred and fifty seven thousand, six hundred; they shall be the last to set out.

Finally, we have the camp of Dan. This consisted of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. They moved last.

Kabbalah connects Dan with:

1. Element= Fire
2. Angel= Gabriel
3. Creature= Ox
4. Attribute= Gevurah – Strength, Harshness

Dan encamped in the north since the north is associated with Gevurah- strength and negativity.

I’m reflecting on this. Negativity sounds bad. But it comes last. From a growth perspective – I wonder if this is all an outline for change:

1. Tiferet (Judah) goes first – Harmony. Changing for Harmony seems gentle and a good first step.
2. Chesed (Reuben) goes second- Kindness. If we won’t make the changes we need to make for Harmony’s sake? Maybe we will make them for Kindness?
3. Malkhut (Ephraim) goes third (after the tent of meeting and the Levites) – sensitivity If we won’t change for harmony or kindness, maybe Hashem reveals Himself and THEN we will change?
4. Gevurah (Dan) goes last – negativity and severity. In the end the last point of change is hitting rock bottom. Radical change happens when we experience Harshness.

So we have a model for change within.

• Harmony within – do I feel internal harmony? Can I air out the grief, shame, and guilt within? Open myself up to discover where I may not have coherence between my head and heart?
• Kindness within – can I be kind and tender? Can I flow like water, or will I resist?
• Vulnerability – can I see my heart, be tender to my heart?
• Manifestation – what changes can I see beginning to happen externally? What direction do I want to go? What lessons am I learning? How do I bring what I am learning into practice – grounding them into the eart?
• Strength – can I be determined and endure the process? Can I go back to harmony within? Can I light a fire and motivate myself to keep going? Every time my efforts seem to not produce what I am wanting, can I “begin again” and keep the fire going?

Rinse and repeat

What I love about this? North isn’t the beginning. It’s the ending. We lead to the east – the rising of the sun. That is the front. Then we move south. We go back to go forwards. Then we expose our hearts. Then we look west for expansion. Then we bring our strength to the north and move forward.

So often we look as North as our direction. And, it may be. However, the best route to take isn’t always the direct one.

Let’s close this out:

32These are the numbers of the Israelites according to their fathers’ houses. The total number of legions of the camps was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

33However, the Levites were not counted with the rest of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

34The Israelites did all that the Lord had commanded Moses; they encamped by their divisions, and so did they journey each man with his family, according to his father’s house.

This is the strength of all of this process. East. South. Heart. West. North.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years;

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 26 Iyar, 5783.  40th Day of the Omer.

As we wind down the month of Iyar, and we head to the new moon and the month of Sivan, we are coming to the end of the sixth week of the Omer counting and heading into our last week.

Today’s theme is “hod of Yesod” which is the “Humility of Bonding.”

From Chabad:

Humility is crucial in healthy bonding. Arrogance divides people. Preoccupation with your own desires and needs separates you from others. Humility allows you to appreciate another person and bond with him. Bonding that is just an extension of your own needs is only bonding tighter with yourself. Healthy bonding is the union of two distinct people, with independent personalities, who join for a higher purpose than satisfying their own needs.

True humility comes from recognizing and acknowledging G‑d in your life. Am I aware of the third partner – G‑d – in bonding? And that this partner gives me the capacity to unite with another, despite our distinctions.

Exercise for the day: When praying acknowledge G‑d specifically for helping you bond with others.

I am reflecting on this theme and today’s Torah portion.  The idea of the portion today is all around “camping.”  Which is interesting, because (in my opinion) the idea is also around change.  We so often camp in a place of comfort, and struggle to make changes and move.  Today’s portion (with Kabbalistic thought) gives us an interesting “formula” for change.  I wrote about this a year ago:

From a growth perspective – I wonder if this is all an outline for change:

Tiferet (Judah) goes first – Harmony. Changing for Harmony seems gentle and a good first step.

Chesed (Reuben) goes second– Kindness. If we won’t make the changes we need to make for Harmony’s sake? Maybe we will make them for Kindness?

Malkhut (Ephraim) goes third (after the tent of meeting and the Levites) – sensitivity If we won’t change for harmony or kindness, maybe Hashem reveals Himself and THEN we will change?

Gevurah (Dan) goes last – negativity and severity. In the end the last point of change is hitting rock bottom. Radical change happens when we experience Harshness.

The Torah portion describes how the different parts of Israel were camping out – and how they were to move.  Harmony always went first.  We should live our lives trying to live in Harmony.

However, Harmony isn’t always possible with another. Within ourselves? Harmony is possible. Am I behaving in a way that keeps me at peace and harmony?  Externally though, Harmony involves relationship with another.  If they do NOT want harmony and RESIST harmony, we can remain humble (in our bonding with them), but we will need to change our tactic.  Towards kindness.

Kindness is possible for ourselves first.  Always.  We have the opportunity to show our selves “courteous goodwill” and be kind to ourselves.  But when we are kind to others – out of our own internal kindness?  It may NOT always be received.  There are many reasons for this.  So then the tactic needs to change.  Towards sensitivity – and where might Hashem (or the universe) be leading us?

Sensitivity to where Hashem may be leading us is a challenge.  We have to grow and awakening to sensing the movement of the creator of the universe.  And if that doesn’t work, the tactic changes.

To negativity.  To have us hit rock bottom and then be willing to change.

And not only do we do this with others?  We do this within.

Think about something we are bonded to (poor eating choices, alcohol, co-dependency, addiction, etc).  This model for change works as well:

Harmony within.  How many of these things we are bonded to disrupt our internal sense of harmony? Peace?

Kindness towards ourselves. How can we work on making changes while remaining kind and compassionate to ourselves?

Sensitivity towards where the universe (Hashem, God, whatever your chosen name for what is beyond us) is leading us in each moment.

Negativity and Harshness.  Realizing this isn’t happening “to us” but instead – it is happening “for me.”  To spark real change in my life.

Instead of being distracted all the time, comfortable, etc – we are called to grow and change.  To bond with our neshama – that part of Hashem that is within us.  How are we doing this?

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 1 Sivan, 5782 (May 31, 2022)

45th day of the Omer

It’s Rosh Chodesh! A new month and a new moon! Rosh Chodesh is a special month as it is the month we were given the Torah! The Omer we’ve been counting is leading us to Shavuot and the giving of the Torah! So let’s dig in!

Today’s portion is all about camping. Given yesterday was Memorial Day and we are coming out of a long weekend? It’s probably appropriate!

The portion gives us how the Israel camp was set up.

Basically the camps were all set up around the tent of meeting. Each division consisted of three tribes. Rabbi Isaac Luria connected these to Asheknazi, Sephardi, Catalonian, and Italian Jewry. He wrote; “they must all remain loyal to their “divisions,” to their own unique customs, which are Holy and Precious.”

Kabbalah teaches that each camp represented:

1. One of the four elements
2. One of the four super Al angels
3. One of the four creatures in the Heavenly Chariot from Ezekiel’s vision
4. One of the four Devine attributes (Chesed-kindness, Gevurah-severity, Tiferet-harmony, and Malkut-sensitivity

The Torah tells us, “The Camp of Judah” was to the east, which was the “front.” The tribes of the camp of Judah were; Judah, Isaachar, and Zebulun

When the camps moved, Judah moved first. Kabbalah connects the camp of Judah with:

1. Element= Air
2. Angel= Uriah
3. Creature= Man
4. Attribute= Tiferet

Kabbalah teaches that Judah camped to the east since Judah was a ba’al teshuvah (penitent) and teshuvah is associated with the east.

Next we have the camp of Reuben: which consisted of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. The camp of Reuben moved second after Judah.

Kabbalah connects Reuben with:

1. Element= Water
2. Angel= Michael
3. Creature= Lion
4. Attribute= Chesed (Reuben started the efforts to save Joseph)

Reuben camped in the south which is associated with Chesed.

The Torah then says, after Reuben moves second, then the tent moves with the Levite camp (which was separate)

The third camp to the West was the camp of Ephraim; this consisted of Ephraim, Menassaeh, and Benjamin. They moved third.

Kabbalah connects Ephraim with:

1. Element= Earth
2. Angel= Raphael
3. Creature= Eagle
4. Attribute= Malkhut

The camp was in the west since the west is associated with Shekhinah (Divine Presence) which is Malkhut.

Finally, we have the camp of Dan. This consisted of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. They moved last.

Kabbalah connects Dan with:

1. Element= Fire
2. Angel= Gabriel
3. Creature= Ox
4. Attribute= Gevurah

Dan encamped in the north since the north is associated with Gevurah and negativity.

I’m reflecting on this. Negativity sounds bad. But it comes last. From a growth perspective – I wonder if this is all an outline for change:

1. Tiferet (Judah) goes first – Harmony. Changing for Harmony seems gentle and a good first step.
2. Chesed (Reuben) goes second- Kindness. If we won’t make the changes we need to make for Harmony’s sake? Maybe we will make them for Kindness?
3. Malkhut (Ephraim) goes third (after the tent of meeting and the Levites) – sensitivity If we won’t change for harmony or kindness, maybe Hashem reveals Himself and THEN we will change?
4. Gevurah (Dan) goes last – negativity and severity. In the end the last point of change is hitting rock bottom. Radical change happens when we experience Harshness.

So I wonder if this is all connected to our hearts and Hashem wanting us to grow and develop?

What do you think?