Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 5 Av, 5783

It’s Sunday, the first day of the week!  Today, we start a new Parsha: Va-‘Ethanan – which means “I requested.”

As we are turning this page in our lives – we moved from Numbers to Deuteronomy last week; transitioning from one segment into another.  After finding balance and letting go of the past. It is time for us to go into the promised land.  Moses is continuing his “last lecture” with the Israelites before they go.

This week’s Parsha is a little more special for me.  I have been studying this Parsha with one of my clients over the past few months in helping her prepare for her Bat Mitzvah.  The study was deep and engaging and I think we both learned a lot.

Today’s portion starts with Moses sharing with the Israelites that he asked Hashem one last time for a chance to enter into the Promised land.  And we read the words in Deuteronomy 3:26 “But God became angry with me because of you.”

This is a stern rebuke in many ways.  First we have to understand Moses’ motivation here.  Why did he ask God to enter the promised land? Was it selfish?  I don’t believe it was.  I believe Moses was explaining to the people why they need to move and change.  You see – Moses became the safety of the Israelites.  They became used to Moses in leadership.  Moses was telling them – “I can’t go into the promised land with you – because it’s not what is best for you.”  As my client shared “He wasn’t the right person at the right time.”

How often do we request of Hashem and we are met with an answer that disappoints us? How do we deal with this disappointment? I was sharing with a close friend about the idea of stress about managing the emotions of others.  As a parent, we are often managing our children’s emotions – trying to avoid disappointing them.  And yet – they are disappointed.  My friend and I discussed how we don’t like disappointing other people. I shared how I struggle for a long time in dealing with my own disappointment – never learning how to emotionally regulate myself in that feeling.  Although I may not throw myself on the ground kicking and screaming – i did struggle to express my feelings of disappointment in a healthy way.  It’s taken me to the age of 51 to learn how to express these feelings in a way that isn’t passive aggressive.

Moses was helping the people understand he recognizes their disappointment at not being able to join them in the promised land. And. He was preparing them to receive a new leader – Joshua.  Who was more than capable of leading them.

Moses tells the people that Hashem commanded Moses to prepare Joshua – and with an AMAZING endorsement from Hashem – “Joshua is capable of leading the people”  Moses is telling the people – Joshua was hand picked. And could be trusted.

My takeaway – what is it we have been requesting of Hashem?  And are we believing that the answer we are getting – if it isn’t EXACTLY what we want – is just as worthy of a response than our initial request?  As an example – I know a lot of people job searching.  They want a new job.  And they go on long interviews, and hope they get it.  And sometimes they do! Others don’t.  What is interesting is how often the conversation with those who don’t is “you dodged a bullet” when reflecting on not getting a job.  Especially as time goes on.

We have to trust Hashem knows what is best.  We can trust Hashem with our requests.  Because Hashem is within us. Hashem knows what we need.

Those are my thoughts? How about yours?

This is my commentary from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 11 Av, 5782

Good morning! As we come out of the darkness of Tisha B’Av it’s time to fully set our eyes to light. The moon is working its way towards fullness. We are past the dark time in the calendar- remembering that dark does not equal bad. It just means a lack of light. It’s a cycle. We should not be afraid of darkness, merely see our connection to light gives us freedom to navigate the darkness. To not live in fear.

Today we have a double portion to navigate. This weeks Parsha is Va-‘Ethannan. I means “I requested.”

I wonder. Purely wonder. If all of those things we requested over the past three weeks are going to be navigated with in the course of this upcoming week. Let’s pay attention and wonder together.

In the Chumash I am reading, this is how the parsha is introduced “Moses prayed 515 times to enter the land of Israel, to no avail. But prayer is not always about receiving an answer. Sometimes, it is enough merely to acknowledge you are in God’s hands.”

Consider that. Even making a request to Hashem means there is an acknowledgment of Him.

We have a lot to navigate this morning. We will do the first portion (that we missed yesterday) and half of todays portion.

Tomorrow we will do the other half of todays portion and then the third reading. So let’s dig in:

The portion begins with Moses pleading with God to enter the promised land. He’s relaying the story to the children of Israel.

He tells them “God became angry with me because of you, and He did not listen to me.”

Moses basically says God told him to stop with the requests. He’s given His answer. Moses won’t enter the land. However God does allow Moses to see the land.

God tells Moses to command Joshua – and strengthen him and encourage him. Because he will cross over before the people. He will bring them to inherit the land which Moses will see.

Moses tells the people “unlike me, you were forgiven by God and He allowed you to enter the land.”

Moses implores Israel to listen to both the suprarational commands (that don’t make sense) and the rational ones; why? So they may live. He tells them to “come and posses the land God is giving you.”

He closes the first reading/portion telling Israel not to add anything to the Torah. Nor take anything away from it.

Moses starts the second reading for today with a reminder that Moses taught these commands to the children of Israel. He told them these are commands (mitzvahs/good deeds) to observe within the land you are going to enter and possess.

He implored them to study the Torah and do the mitzvahs so they’d be preserved. This is the key to wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations who will hear these mitzvahs and say “only this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

We need to remember. The goal here isn’t to be “better” than others. The goal is to model wisdom. But more importantly (maybe?) Understanding.

We are called to understand. Not just the mitzvahs. But one another. That is a high mitzvah indeed. To understand another is a high calling.

The idea is the nations will see that when we call to Hashem, He answers us.

Moses tells the people to be careful. To remember. To “keep track of yourself well.” We are called to remember the things our eyes saw at Sinai. To not let these things depart from our heart all the days of our life. We are to inform our children and our children’s children about the day we stood before God at Horeb.

What did we see? We saw God speak. We saw fire on the mountain. we heard God speak from the cloud.

God told us His covenant. He told us the Ten Commandments. God commanded Moses to teach the oral Torah as well – this is where we start to understand the suprarational commands and the rational commands.

We are called to remember we did not see any image at Horeb. Only a voice. Why? So that we wouldn’t make a statue for ourselves – or an image of any form. We should not worship images of anything. We should not bow down to those images.

God brought us out of the “iron melting pot” from Egypt (slavery) so that we would become His “heritage nation.”

Moses reminds us once again not to make a statue – an image of anything.

He repeats this a lot. It makes me wonder about Christianity and the cross. Or statues of Jesus. How does this reconcile with the Torah?

Let’s stop there for today. What are your thoughts?