Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 29 Elul, 5784
Parsha Ha’Azinu– “Listen”: (Deuteronomy 32:1 – 52)
Fourth Portion: Deuteronomy 32:19 – 32:28

Well? We made it! A year ago, we were wondering if we had been written in the book of life at Yom Kippur. If we are here today, we are most likely destined to have made it – with only a few hours left in 5784, we have made it through the year – and hopefully learned a lot along the way. At Sundown tonight (6:21pm in Oneonta) the calendar will turn from 5784 to 5785. And the energy will shift.

We are working through the shadows of inadequacy.

As we enter into Rosh Hashanah, we are called into a time of repentance. To look back at the things we may not be so proud of. And? Doing this? May trigger feelings of inadequacy within us.

The good news? The gift of inadequacy? We learn to be resourceful. This is a beautiful gift. We learn to find ways to move forward despite feeling inadequate. And the prize of resourcefulness? Wisdom. This is a true prize indeed.

So where are we feeling inadequate today? Let’s dig into today’s portion:

19And the Lord saw this and became angry, provoked by His sons and daughters.

Talk about starting the portion from a place of inadequacy. Having Hashem angry would likely confront us with this feeling.

Why was Hashem angry?

Short version? We knew Hashem was the one who brought us to victory. And? We quickly forgot and became fat, lazy, and did not remember who got us there. We rejected and betrayed Hashem.

20And He said, “I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be, for they are a generation of changes; they are not [recognizable] as My children whom I have reared.

21They have provoked My jealousy with a non god, provoked My anger with their vanities. Thus, I will provoke their jealousy with a non people, provoke their anger with a foolish nation.

Hashem Is justified here, and it would seem the consequence would fit.

Hashem is jealous. Let’s talk for a minute about jealousy. What is jealousy?

Brene Brown (author of the Atlas of the Heart) talks about the difference between envy and jealousy. Envy is the longing to have something that someone else has. Jealousy is the fear that we are going to lose something precious to us. We often conflate the two, but the difference is stark.

Hashem – the Universe – was concerned He was going to LOSE us to non-gods. He was angry because he WANTS us. He WANTS and DESIRES us to be connected to Him.

This is not in the “controlling” way we think of because humanity connects jealousy with control and abuse. Hashem is not MAKING anyone do anything. He is chasing us. He continues to communicate His DESIRE.

So Hashem’s solution? Provoke the Children of Israel’s jealousy. Maybe if the Children of Israel are afraid of losing their relationship with Hashem – because they have taken it for granted? They will return.  Maybe they will look in anger at the things they are seeing with this “new nation” and realize what they have to lose.

Sounds like a reasonable plan.  Let’s keep going:

22For a fire blazed in My wrath, and burned to the lowest depths. It consumed the land and its produce, setting aflame the foundations of mountains.

23I will link evils upon them. I will use up My arrows on them.

24They will sprout hair from famine, attacked by demons, excised by Meriri. I will incite the teeth of livestock upon them, with the venom of creatures that slither in the dust.

25From outside, the sword will bereave, and terror from within; young men and maidens, suckling babes with venerable elders.

26I said that I would make an end of them, eradicate their remembrance from mankind.

The Torah lays this plan fully out. The collective anger would destroy the Children of Israel. And? There is a problem with this:

27Were it not that the enemy’s wrath was heaped up, lest their adversaries distort; lest they claim, “Our hand was triumphant! The Lord did none of this!”

28For they are a nation devoid of counsel, and they have no understanding.

Hashem knows if He does this to the Children of Israel? Their enemies would not attribute it to Hashem. So he has to come up with a better plan.

And? Keep in mind? This is all a PART of the song. This is what we are supposed to REMEMBER so we don’t FORGET our journey. The goal of the song? Is to make sure we return to the Torah.

It is here, we break for Rosh Hashanah. A time of repentance.  We will finish this all out on Shabbat when we close the Parsha out. We will catch you up at that point.

Until then, may you have a sweet new year – L’Shana Tova.

Eat some apples and honey tonight and over the next few days.

Enjoy!

I wrote this regarding the final day of 5783:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 29 Elul, 5783

Wow. Our last moments of 5783.  A year ago, I was mining diamonds in Herkimer. Today I am mining different diamonds (hopefully can talk more about that in the new year).

Today’s message is about internal repentance leading to external healing.  Our healing heals others.

This is our chance before the sun goes down on 5783 to do any last repentance and work needed to be done to have a clean slate in 5784. Apples and Honey.  Sweetness. We start over.

What do we need to repent of?

What are your thoughts?

Here is my commentary for the last two years:

From the commentary on the portion I wrote last year:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 27 Elul, 5783

Good morning – we are a few days from the new year – and just when I thought we are going to “coast” into 5784, I think there is one more lesson for us to learn – and we are about to get a MASTER CLASS on it.

Today’s portion is small. And it really sets up tomorrow’s.  The portion today is really about Hashem’s quandary.

Jeshurun forgot Hashem.  God was angry.

Hashem promised if Jeshurun forgot Hashem, there would be calamities. So Hashem HAS to follow through.

And – outsiders would not attribute this to Hashem – in fact, they would see Hashem as having no power at all.  It’s almost like Hashem has backed Himself into a corner.  (We will see He hasn’t ACTUALLY done this – but it certainly LOOKS like He has)

Why? Why is this important?

The past few weeks, I have been discussing spiritual freedom and liberation – and how we have been moving towards internal spiritual growth and development to external.  Our relationships. With food. Money. Our Parents. Our Children. Our friends. Romantic partners.  How can we find liberation and freedom there?

Hashem is showing us – those relationships are all byproducts of our relationship with one thing.

Stress.

Do we take on stress? Do we reject stress? Do we become aware of stress and wield it like a mighty sword?

I wrote this to a friend:

I am wondering if the Divine Masculine wields stress masterfully. Utilizes stress in a manner that brings harmony and balance. Compassion and kindness.

And does the Divine Feminine energy create stress masterfully -for a purpose. To disrupt. For change. For a purpose.

And this is the harmony and balance.

We see Hashem both wielding and navigating Stress He himself has created. And I wonder if this is instructive for us.

How do we navigate stress? Do we own it? Do we feel it? How do we respond to it? Do we avoid it? Do we create it?

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 11 Tishri 5783

Good morning! I hope your fast we a meaningful one! It was for me! Today we get back to this important song “Ha’Azinu!”

Remember this song has a purpose – when we enter freedom and liberation, this song is to equip us not to forget what Hashem has done for us! It’s to remind us and ground us in our freedom and liberation.

Today we have two portions to cover; yesterday and todays.

We left off in the song with Jeshurun forgetting about Hashem.

We open the song today with Hashem becoming angry, provoked by His sons and daughters.

Because of His anger (remember it’s anger because we forgot Hashem’s kindness and blessings) there are going to be calamities that come upon us. But Hashem is kind of in a pickle. and it’s interesting this song addresses it.

All of this calamity, including allowing armies to bereave the children of Israel creates quite the conundrum.

Because if Hashem brings this upon Israel, the invading armies aren’t going to attribute it to Hashem’s power. And in fact will be able to claim Hashem has no power.

The outside armies wouldn’t understand and the wrong lesson would be learned. if they were wise, the outside armies would reflect on Israel’s demise and understand there is no way they could have won without their God (Hashem) “selling them out.”

This is what we learn heading into the next passage.