GARDEN OF TORAH: Close to the Heavens (Haazinu)

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

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I N T H E G A R D E N O F T H E T O R A H
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Parshat Haazinu
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Close to the Heavens
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1. Two Prophets, Two Modes of Expression

The word Ha’azinu, generally translated as “listen,” literally means “give ear.” In that vein, our Sages compare Moshe’s call: “Listen O heavens, and I will speak; earth, hear the words of my mouth,” with Yeshayahu’s prophecy: “Hear O heavens..., listen O earth.”

They explain that Moshe was “close to the heavens, and far from the earth.” Therefore, he was able to address the heavens at close range. Yeshayahu, by contrast, despite the personal growth he had attained, was still “close to the earth, and far from the heavens.” And thus he used wording that reflected his level.

2. A Reflection of Spiritual Reality

The sages of the Kabbalah explain that there are four spiritual worlds: Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Atzilus refers to existence at one with G-d. Although this realm contains entities whose existence is limited and defined, they do not feel separate from Him. Even as they exist as defined entities, they feel themselves as no more than an extension of G-dliness. In the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, by contrast, there is a sense of individual identity and self. Therefore, Atzilus is referred to as the “heavens,” while these other realms are referred to as “earth.”

Moshe Rabbeinu is described as a neshamah d’Atzilus, an individual whose perception paralleled that of the world of Atzilus. Even though he existed in a physical body, he perceived everything as an extension of G-dliness. This is possible because the limitations of space do not apply to the spiritual realms, which are separate and removed from our material universe. As one lives in this world, one can feel the direct awareness of G-d and the closeness to Him which characterizes the world of Atzilus. This was Moshe’s spiritual rung; he could speak to the heavens with familiarity, for he was on that level himself.

Yeshayahu, by contrast, saw G-d from afar. The angels whom he describes proclaim: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the L-rd of Hosts,” and as explained in Chassidus, kadosh, “holy” also has the implication: distinct and separate. Within the world of Beriah, even the loftiest angels feel separate from G-d, for they have a sense of self. As such, it was the earth which Yeshayahu addressed from close range.

3. Fusing the Material and the Spiritual

Questions arise: Why did Moshe address the earth as well as the heavens? And why did Yeshayahu address the heavens as well as the earth? Why did they not confine themselves to speaking to the realm closest to them?

The answer to these questions depends on a fundamental tenet of Judaism: we must relate to both earth and heaven. For material and spiritual reality are meant to be connected, instead of being left as skew lines. Judaism involves drawing down spiritual reality until it meshes with worldly experience (Moshe’s contribution), while elevating worldly experience until a bond with the spiritual is established (Yeshayahu’s contribution).

Indeed, the two initiatives can be seen as phases in a sequence. By revealing the Torah, Moshe endowed every individual with the potential to become “close to the heavens.” Yeshayahu developed the connection further, making it possible for a person to experience being “close to heavens” while “close to the earth” — involved in the mundane details of material life.

4. Two Phases in Time

Parshas Ha’azinu is always read either on the Shabbos before Yom Kippur, in the Ten Days of Teshuvah, or on the Shabbos following Yom Kippur, before the holiday of Sukkos.

Herein lies a connection to the above concepts. Our Sages describe the days preceding Yom Kippur with the verse: “Seek G-d while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” At this time, everyone has the potential to feel close to G-d, and therefore the AriZal says: “If a person does not cry during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, his soul is not complete.” Reading Parshas Ha’azinu before Yom Kippur highlights the fact that each of us is “close to the heavens.”

After Yom Kippur, our Divine service takes an earthward turn, following the motif alluded to in the verse: “And Yaakov went on his way.” Yaakov symbolizes the entire Jewish people. “Going on his way” refers to tending to personal matters, and in this way fusing spiritual truth with ordinary experience, as in the verse: “Know Him in all your ways.”

In particular, there are two phases to this motif: a) observing mitzvos as they are enclothed in material entities — this is the message of Sukkos, and then b) a further stage of descent, when after the holiday season is completed, we return to worldly reality. Reading Parshas Ha’azinu after Yom Kippur underscores that being “close to the heavens” is only a starting point for our Divine service, which must be continued throughout the coming year.

5. Two Phases in Development

In a more particular sense, “the heavens” can be seen as an analogy for the Torah. The Torah is G-d’s word, and through its study, a person comes “close to the heavens,” nearer to spiritual truth. Mitzvos, by contrast, are often associated with the earth, for their observance involves worldly matters.

In the first stage of a person’s spiritual development, he should be “close to heaven,” submerged in Torah study. Afterwards, he must realize that “study is not the essential; deed is.” Each of us must then shoulder our part in the mission of making this world a dwelling for G-d.

These two stages are reflected in the development of mankind as a whole. In the present era, our Sages explain that study takes precedence over deed. In the Era of the Redemption — the culmination of our human experience — deed will take precedence. For in that era, man’s Divine service will have established a complete connection between heaven and earth, and we will perceive the G-dliness which permeates every element of existence.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I, p. 415; Vol. IX, p. 204; Vol. XX, p. 266)

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CHASSIDIC DIMENSION: Teshuvah, Torah, and Mitzvos - Essence, Heaven, and Earth (Ha'azinu)

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

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T H E C H A S S I D I C D I M E N S I O N
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Parshat Ha'azinu
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Teshuvah, Torah, and Mitzvos — Essence, Heaven, and Earth
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The Torah reading of Ha’azinu opens with Moshe’s words: “Listen heaven and I will speak; hear earth the words of my mouth.” With these words Moshe called upon heaven and earth to bear witness concerning his admonitions and exhortations in the “Song of Ha’azinu” regarding the Jews’ performance of Torah and mitzvos.

Sifri offers the following reasons for Moshe’s selection of heaven and earth as witnesses:

a) “ ‘Listen heaven’ — because Torah was given from heaven; ‘hear earth’ — because upon it the Jewish people stood when they [accepted the Torah and] said ‘All that G-d spoke we shall obey and hear.’ ”
b) “ ‘Listen heaven’ — they did not perform those commandments that are bound up with [the astronomical calculations of] “heaven,” namely, adding a leap month and establishing the beginning of new months; ‘hear earth’ — they did not perform those commandments that are bound up with earth, namely, Gleanings, Forgotten Sheaves....”
c) “ ‘Listen heaven’ — they did not perform any of the commandments that are bound up with “heaven”; ‘hear earth’ — they did not perform any of the commandments that are bound up with the earth.”

Torah and mitzvos were, of course, given by G-d, who is infinitely higher than either heaven or earth. In seeking to encourage a more perfect obedience to G-d’s will, it seems logical to stress that Torah and mitzvos were given by Him, rather than focusing on the fact that they are connected to heaven and earth. Why the emphasis on heaven and earth?

A Jew is expected to serve G-d in two opposite ways: on one hand he is expected to serve with pure and simple faith and with acceptance of the Heavenly Yoke — elements that derive from the soul’s essence. On the other hand, his service must permeate his intellect and emotions so that they too understand and experience G-dliness.

In practical terms, this means that a Jew is to draw down and connect his soul’s essence with his inner powers, so that not only does he serve G-d in thought, word and deed out of simple faith, but he also comprehends G-dliness in his mind and loves and fears Him in his heart.

Moreover, a Jew is expected not only to serve G-d in the general and ongoing manner of regular Torah and mitzvos, but also through repentance, teshuvah. This level of service — a level that emanates from the soul’s essence and seeks the innermost aspect of G-dliness — must permeate a person’s intellect and emotion as well.

This is why when Moshe desired to rouse the Jews to the service of Torah and mitzvos, the performance of which was to reflect not only pure faith but the inner powers of intellect and emotion, he mentioned that Torah and mitzvos were given through heaven and earth.

He did this in order to arouse within Jews their level of heaven and earth, i.e., their loftier inner powers of intellect and thought which are likened to heaven, and the lesser powers of emotions, speech and action which are likened to earth.

These three levels — the soul’s essence, the soul’s “heaven,” and the soul’s “earth” — find general expression in the three manners of teshuvah: (1) an expression of the soul’s essence, (2) the service of Torah study — an expression of the soul’s intellect, and (3) the performance of mitzvos — an expression of the soul’s “earthy” aspect.

It is to these forms of service that the Sifri alludes in its three commentaries. The first comment of the Sifri speaks of service the mainstay of which is intellect and “heaven.” The second comment speaks of the performance of mitzvos concerning which we say that “action is what is most important” — the level of “earth.” The third comment speaks of teshuvah, for which reason Sifri states: “they did not perform any of the commandments” — a sorry state of affairs that necessitates teshuvah, which emanates from the soul’s very essence.

(Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. IV, pp. 1154-1158.)

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PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE REBBE SAID: Parshas Ha'azinu

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

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P L E A S E T E L L M E W H A T T H E R E B B E S A I D
===================================================================

Parshas Ha'azinu
----------------

Everybody was busy preparing for Sukkos. Mindy and Mashi were moving the table and chairs into their sukkah. Mendy and Mordechai were helping their father put on the schach. Next door, the Kleins were hammering and drilling their sukkah boards.

“Look, Mindy,” said Mashi. “If we move the table a bit to the left, we could fit another chair in that corner.”

Mashi nodded. Above the clamor of banging chairs, the pounding of hammers, and the shrill sound of drills, Mendy called out from on top of the ladder, “We need another branch up here, Mordechai.” No response.

“Hey Mordechai, can you hear me? I said we need another branch here.”

Mordechai could hardly hear Mendy — he was too far away. But Mashi could easily listen to Mindy — she was standing close to her.

We use the word “listen,” when we speak with someone who is close. Our conversations with a listener are personal and private. We use “hearing” when we speak to someone further away. It is less personal. Words which are spoken loud enough for people all around to hear do not have the same feeling of closeness as a private conversation.

Ha’azinu gives an example of both “listening” and “hearing.” Moshe asks the heaven and earth to serve as witnesses, saying: Ha’azinu hashamayim ... V’ sishma ha’aretz: “Listen, O heavens..., and let the earth hear.”

Many generations later, the prophet Yeshayahu also called upon the heavens and the earth to serve as witnesses. Yeshayahu says: Shimu shomayim veha’ azini eretz — “Hear O Heavens, and listen, O earth.”

What is the difference between the words of Moshe Rabbeinu and those of Yeshayahu?

Moshe calls upon the heavens to listen and earth to hear, while Yeshayahu asks the earth to listen and heavens to hear. Remember that listening means that the two speakers are close to each other. Our Rabbis explain that Moshe was on a very high level — closer to the heavens than to the earth. When he spoke to the heavens, he said listen, and when he spoke to the earth, he said hear.

Yeshayahu was on a lower level. When he spoke to the heavens from far below, he said hear, and when he spoke to the earth, he said listen.

Parshas Ha’azinu is always read on the Shabbos before or after Yom Kippur. At this time we can “seek HaShem when He is near, call upon Him when He is close.” During these days, every Jew is — like Moshe Rabbeinu — close to HaShem and within listening distance of Him. This assures us that He will listen to our prayers and will grant us a year of blessing and happiness.

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LESSONS IN TANYA: Friday, October 14, 2005

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

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L E S S O N S I N T A N Y A
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Today's Lesson:

Iggeret HaKodesh
Epistle Twenty-One
-------------------------

[This pastoral letter was written by the Alter Rebbe to rouse those of his followers who had pledged an annual contribution to Kollel Chabad.

This fund supported their fellow chassidim who had settled in the Land of Israel, where they now studied Torah and engaged in divine service.

The Alter Rebbe here urges that instead of waiting until the end of the year, his followers should give part of the promised sum weekly or at least monthly.

For apart from the quality of alacrity, the eager promptness that ought to be displayed during the performance of mitzvot in general and the mitzvah of tzedakah (charity) in particular, there is an additional quality involved, as will soon be explained.

The Alter Rebbe begins this epistle by greeting his fellow Jews as "lovers of G-d's Name. (1)

This appellation especially suits those helping their brethren who serve G-d in the Holy Land.

For upon this land (2) "G-d's gaze is fixed constantly," and this verse uses G-d's ineffable Name Havayah, indicating that the Land is directly illuminated and animated by the sublime level of Divinity indicated by that singular and unique Name.]

Having first duly inquired after the welfare of those who love [G-d's] Name, those among the people who willingly volunteer to practice the righteous charitability of G-d towards His Holy Land by giving every year a set sum of money for [the inhabitants of] our Holy Land (May it be rebuilt and established speedily, in our days!).

"May my word [call]" (3) to them and "my speech trickle like dew" (4) in order to bestir those who are [naturally] swift, [for (5) "One hurries only the swift"], and to strengthen weak hands, (6) [for their unquestioned willingness (7) is hampered only by their poverty], so that they should contribute moneys for the Land of Israel every week, or at least every month, (8) from the amount assigned for the year, proportionately.

As well as, all the (9) "dedicated money" that each individual was inspired to donate annually (without a vow) for the support of our brethren who live in the Holy Land.

[It would seem that in these last few lines the Alter Rebbe means to add the following:

Not only are the amounts that were always given in previous years to be given henceforth on a weekly or monthly basis, but additional amounts are to be divided likewise.]

For, first of all, everyone knows the great virtue of alacrity with respect to all commandments, which is spoken of repeatedly in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory.

[For example:] (10) "At all times should one be prompt in [fulfilling] a commandment."

So, too, it is [the merit of] (11) "the eager promptness of our father Abraham" (peace upon him), [who hastened to the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac], (12) that stands by us and our children, for ever.

For the Akedah itself, [which G-d constantly recalls], is not really regarded as so great a test in relation to the stature of our father Abraham, peace upon him, especially considering that G-d Himself said to him, (13) "Please take your son,...[and bring him as an offering"].

After all, there have been numerous saintly individuals who gave their lives for the sanctification of G-d, even though He did not speak to them.

[How, then, can this be considered such a great test for Abraham, when G-d Himself commanded him to offer his son?]

The point is that our father Abraham (peace upon him) did this with wondrous alacrity, [for, as the verse testifies, (14) "Abraham rose very early and [himself (15)] saddled his donkey," in order to demonstrate - [to others as well] - his joy and eager desire to fulfill the will of his Master and to bring gratification to his Maker.

[The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of blessed memory, explains in a discourse dated the 12th of Tammuz 5709, (16) that the divine service of penitents should involve affecting others as well.

Now the challenge of the Akedah required that Abraham, the epitome of love and kindness, * reverse * his essential nature, in which the attribute of Chesed predominated, and act with all the severity of the attribute of Gevurah.

(Hence G-d avers, (17) "I now know that you fear G-d.")

In this diametrical reversal Abraham resembled a penitent.

And, like a penitent, he sought to share with others his delight at fulfilling G-d's will.]

Indeed, it was from [the example of Abraham, and with the power that he vested within all his descendants], that our Sages (of blessed memory) (18) learned [that alacrity is required] in the fulfillment of all the commandments in general, and in particular with respect to the act of charity which is superior to them all, (19) in that it protects and saves one - by its (20) "fruits [that are repaid] in this world" (21) - from all kinds of calamities that may come about.

As it is written, (22) "And tzedakah saves from death," and how much more so, from other kinds of suffering that are milder than death.

It is thus certainly to our benefit, even in this world, to be as expeditious as possible in [the giving of charity, even more so than in the fulfillment of other commandments, whose reward may not be as palpable in this world], for, after all, (23) "A man is judged every day," [so that it is quite possible that he is in need of the merit of today's tzedakah to protect him from today's judgment.

Footnotes:

1. Note of the Rebbe: "See also Iggeret HaKodesh, in
Epistle V above, where the Alter Rebbe states that by
giving tzedakah one `makes the Holy Name'; [moreover,]
tzedakah is motivated by the attribute of kindness,
whose inner dimension is love."
2. Devarim 11:12.
3. Cf. Iyov 29:22.
4. Devarim 32:2.
5. Makkot 23a; Sifri, Bamidbar, section 1.
6. Cf. Yeshayahu 35:3.
7. Note of the Rebbe: "...For, as the text continues,
we are speaking of those who had been `inspired to donate.'"
8. Note of the Rebbe: "It will be observed that in the
quoted verse (at the conclusion of the Book of Yeshayahu),
`every week' [lit., `every Shabbat'] refers to the Sabbath
day at the conclusion of the week, while `every month' refers
to the beginning of the month, Rosh Chodesh."
9. II Melachim 12:5.
10. Nazir 23b; Bava Kama 38b.
11. Chullin 16a.
12. Bereishit 22:1-19.
13. Ibid. v. 2.
14. Ibid. v. 3.
15. See commentary of Rashi there.
16. Sefer HaMaamarim 5709, p. 184.
17. Bereishit 22:12; see also Sefer HaMaamarim - Kuntreisim,
Vol. II, p. 642.
18. Pesachim 4a, et al.
19. Note of the Rebbe: "Cf. Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah,
beginning of chapter 12."
20. Peah 1:1.
21. Note of the Rebbe: "See also Iggeret HaKodesh,
Epistle III."
22. Mishlei 10:2.
23. Rosh HaShanah 16a.

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DAILY MITZVAH (Maimonides): Friday, October 14, 2005

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

==================================================
D A I L Y M I T Z V A H (M A I M O N I D E S )
==================================================

Today's Mitzvah (Day 42 of 339):

Negative Mitzvah 322
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Negative Mitzvah 322: It is forbidden to administer death
penalties on Shabbat

-Exodus 35:3 "You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements
on the Sabbath day"

The Beit Din has the authority to punish and even execute,
criminals, however, it may not administer the death penalty
on Shabbat.

* * *

PLEASE NOTE: The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily
study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are
instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively
while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth
track.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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"TODAY'S DAY": Friday, October 14, 2005

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

=======================
"T O D A Y ' S D A Y"
=======================

Sunday, Tishrei 11 5704

Torah lessons: Chumash: B'racha, First Parsha with Rashi.
Tehillim: 60-65.
Tanya: XXI. Upon enquiring (p. 513)...every day."
(p. 515).

At the conclusion of Yom Kippur 5556 (1795) in Lyozna, the Alter Rebbe delivered a public discourse (1) (his discourses were brief, as usual then) on the verse "Who is like the Eternal our G-d whenever we call upon Him," (2) on which the Sages comment - "...upon Him" and not upon His attributes:

Pardes Rimonim explains that "upon Him" (2) refers to the Orot ("radiances" or "illuminations") as they are invested in the "vessels" of the Ten Sefirot of Atzilut.

The Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, says that "upon Him" refers to the G-dhood invested in the "vessels" of the Ten Sefirot of Atzilut.

The simple meaning is: "upon Him" refers to the Essence of the En Sof (3) of which every ordinary Jew has inherent knowledge through his simple faith.

This is the meaning of "close to him" (4) to the person) and "whenever we call to Him (G-d)" (4) -

(These two expressions referring respectively to) the Essence of the En Sof and the essence of the soul.

Davening with simple faith joins the essence of the soul with the essence of the Infinite, so that the Essence of the En Sof will be the Healer of the ill, and He Who blesses the years.

Footnotes: 1. Then called "a Torah."
2. Tehillim 113:2.
3. The Ultimate Infinitude; G-d.
4. In both expressions the identical word is
used, Eilav, "to him."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe. Note: day of week and Torah lessons indicated are from 5703 (1943).

For a glossary of terms used in "Today's Day" please click here:
http://chabad.org/article.asp?AID=95867

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TODAY IN JUDAISM: Friday, October 14, 2005

B"H

Tishrei 11, 5766 * October 14, 2005

=================================
T O D A Y I N J U D A I S M
=================================

* Laws * Customs * Jewish History * Daily Quote * Daily Study *

Today is: Friday, Tishrei 11, 5766

======================
Today's Laws & Customs
======================

• Start on sukkah

It is customary to begin working on -- or at least planning -- the construction of the sukkah immediately after Yom Kippur. Indeed, The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 30:7) describes the four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot as a time when the Jewish people are "preoccupied with mitzvot... this one is occupied with his sukkah [http://www.chabad.org/88580], this one is occupied with his lulav [http://www.chabad.org/3106]..."

• "G-d's Name"

According to an old Chassidic tradition -- mentioned in the writings of the Baal Shem Tov -- the day after Yom Kippur is referred to as "G-d's Name." (The Baal Shem Tov explains that each of the various divine names describes G-d's involvement in a specific "world" or realm of reality, but the designation "G-d's Name" -- without reference to any particular name -- connotes a divine effluence that transcends all realms and particulars. On Yom Kippur, we access and reveal the very essence of our soul [http://www.chabad.org/87990], which is one with the very essence of G-d; thus the day after Yom Kippur carries the designation "G-d's Name.")

===========
Daily Quote
===========

Go, eat your bread joyfully and drink your wine with a merry heart, for G-d has already accepted your deeds

- Ecclesiastes 9:7

===========
Daily Study
===========

Chitas and Rambam for today:

Chumash: Ha'Azinu, 6th Portion Devarim 32:40-32:43 with Rashi
• English Text:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/rashi/default.asp?tDate=10/14/2005&src=ds

Tehillim: Chapters 60 - 65
• Hebrew text:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tehillim.asp?tDate=10/14/2005&Lang=HEB
• English text:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tehillim.asp?tDate=10/14/2005

Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 21
• Lesson in Tanya:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tDate=10/14/2005
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/seferHamitzvos.asp?tDate=10/14/2005
• 1 Chapter: Mikvot Chap. 7
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/rambam.asp?tDate=10/14/2005&rambamChapters=1
• 3 Chapters: Shabbat Chap. 15, 16, 17
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/rambam.asp?tDate=10/14/2005&rambamChapters=3

Hayom Yom:
• English Text:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/hayomyom.asp?tDate=10/14/2005

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PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL: Week of October 9-15, 2005 (Haazinu)

B"H

Tishrei 10, 5766 * October 13, 2005

=================================================
T H E P A R S H A H I N A N U T S H E L L
=================================================

TORAH PORTION: Haazinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-52)

Torah Reading for Week of October 9-15, 2005

On the Web: http://www.chabad.org/Article.asp?AID=3109

- * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * -

The greater part of the Torah reading of Haazinu ("Listen In") consists of a 70-line "song" delivered by Moses to the people of Israel on the last day of his earthly life.

Calling heaven and earth as witnesses, Moses exhorts the people to "Remember the days of old / Consider the years of many generations / Ask your father, and he will recount it to you / Your elders, and they will tell you" how G-d "found them in a desert land", made them a people, chose them as His own, and bequeathed them a bountiful land. The Song also warns against the pitfalls of plenty: "Yeshurun grew fat, and kicked / You have grown fat, thick, and waddled/ He forsook G-d who made him / And spurned the Rock of his salvation" -- and the terrible calamities that would result, which Moses describes as G-d "hiding His face". Yet in the end, he promises, G-d will be avenge the blood of His servants and be reconciled with his people and land.

The Parshah concludes with G-d's instruction to Moses to ascend the summit of Mount Nebo, from which he beheld the Promised Land before dying on the mountain. "For you shall see the land opposite you; but you shall not go there, into the land which I give to the children of Israel.

* * *

FROM THE WORDS OF OUR SAGES ON THE PARSHAH:

--For G-d's portion is His people; Jacob is the rope of His inheritance (32:9)

The relationship between a Jew and G-d is like a rope: the more the Jew pulls away, the more taut the bond grows; finally, the mounting pressure causes him to rebound with an even greater force of attraction than before.

(The Chassidic Masters)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For more Parshah reading, please visit our "Full Parshah with Commentary" section with its dozens of excerpts from the Midrash, Talmud, Commentaries and the Chassidic Masters:

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TORAH STUDIES: Parshat Ha'azinu

B"H

Tishrei 10, 5766 * October 13, 2005

=========================
T O R A H S T U D I E S
=========================

Parshat Ha'azinu
----------------

The Sidra of Ha'azinu begins with Moses’ great oration, “Give ear, ye heavens . . . and let the earth hear.” The Midrash, with its usual sensitivity to the nuances of language, notes that Moses seems to be talking in terms of intimacy towards the heavens, and of distance towards the earth. There is an almost exactly opposite verse in Isaiah, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth,” in which Isaiah expresses closeness to earth and distance from heaven. Which path is the Jew to follow? Is he to strive towards heaven and keep himself aloof from worldly events? Or is he, like Isaiah, to find his spiritual home in the things of the earth? And what bearing does this dilemma have on the time in which the Sidra is usually read, the Ten Days of Repentance, and the days immediately following Yom Kippur, the supreme moments of self-examination in the Jewish year?

1. Words of Closeness and Distance

The Midrash tells us that Moses was “close to heaven” and “far from the earth,” and this is why he said, “Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” “Give ear” speaks in the tone of closeness, “let the earth hear” bears the accent of distance.

In the same way, the Midrash says that Isaiah was “far from the heavens . . . and close to the earth,” for he said, in exact opposition to Moses, “Hear O heavens, and give ear, O earth.”

But this opposition is a surprising one. “Torah” means “teaching,” and all its words are words of instruction for every Jew. When Moses said, “Give ear, ye heavens . . . and let the earth hear” the implication was that every Jew should strive to be close to heaven, and to liberate himself from the constraints of earth. If Isaiah, the greatest of the prophets, could not reach this, how then can the Torah demand it of every Jew? And, if closeness to heaven is, in fact, within the reach of every Jew through the inspiration of Moses which is “within” every Jew, why had Isaiah failed to reach this level?

The matter is all the more strange since—as the Midrash says—Isaiah’s words were spoken as a continuation of Moses’ address. Speaking as he was under the direct inspiration of Moses, it should have been all the easier for Isaiah to rise to his heights.

We are forced to conclude, then, that Isaiah was not outlining a lower level, but an even higher one, than that of which Moses had spoken. It was in this sense that he was continuing where Moses left off. Reaching upwards to Moses’ heights, “close to heaven,” he was able to strain to a yet greater achievement, of being “close to earth.” And since Isaiah’s words, too, are part of the Torah, they form a universal message to the Jew.

We must also realize that, since every teaching of the Torah has a special relevance to the time of the year when it is read, these words of Moses and their continuation in Isaiah are of particular significance to the time between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, during which they are always read.

2. Days of Weeping

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the Ari, said, “Whoever does not shed tears during the Ten Days of Repentance—his soul is imperfect.” The simple meaning of this is that during these days G-d is close to every Jew with, in the Chassidic phrase, “the closeness of the luminary to the spark.”

If, even in such a time of grace, a Jew is not moved to the tears of repentance, there is an imperfection in his soul. Nothing wakes it to return to its source. It has moved far indeed from its destiny.

But the Ari suggests, by saying “Whoever does not shed tears,” that this applies to every Jew, even to the perfectly righteous. And yet repentance, certainly when accompanied by tears, is about sin, transgression, wrongdoing, of which the righteous man is innocent. How can we expect that he repent, and so much so that there must be some imperfection in his soul if he is not moved to penitential tears?

We could understand the Ari’s remark if it referred to the “benoni,” the Jew who has never sinned, even in thought, but who has not yet removed the desire to do wrong, even though it is kept in continual suppression. For in him there is always the possibility of sin, and this alone is enough for tears in these supreme days of self-examination.

But the completely righteous, whose nature is unstirred by even the trace of misguided desire, would seem to have no need, no cause for tears.

Humility may lead him to them. Even the great Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai wept and said, “When there are two ways before me, one leading to Paradise, and the other to Gehinnom, and I do not know by which I shall be taken, shall I not weep?” In their fervor, the righteous may mistakenly think themselves unworthy. But why should the Ari suggest not that they can sometimes weep, but that they should? For self-knowledge is a virtue, and it is no duty to think oneself worse than one is.

3. Tears of Joy and Bitterness

The Alter Rebbe explained that the tears of which the Ari spoke were not tears of bitterness and self-recrimination, but tears like those which Rabbi Akiva shed when he penetrated the secret mysteries of the Torah —tears of intense joy.

But these cannot be the only tears which the righteous shed, or it would transpire that the Ari using one word to denote two opposites—the joyous tears of the righteous and the bitter tears of other Jews. The first would express a closeness to G-d, the second a sense of distance.

4. The Spirit Shall Return

The explanation is that teshuvah is not merely repentance, something which comes only where there was sin. It means the return of the soul to its source. “And the spirit shall return to G-d who gave it.”

Even the righteous man who serves G-d with love and fear and the totality of his being has not yet reached that stage of complete closeness to Him, which the soul experienced before birth. Earthly existence creates a distance between the soul and G-d which not even righteousness can wholly bridge, and this is the grief of the righteous and the source of his tears. He senses, even in the highest human life, a descent of the soul from its heavenly enthronement. His tears, like those of the ordinary Jew, are born of a consciousness of distance from G-d.

5. Tears of Effacement

But even this answer will not suffice. For the righteous would then be grieving over the inevitable: The fact that bodily existence sets a distance between G-d and the soul. This is a fact that man cannot change. And what man cannot alter, he cannot blame himself for.

If the righteous man were thinking about his own spiritual satisfaction he might feel embittered that birth was a loss to the soul. He might, without feeling guilty, feel aggrieved. But the righteous do not think of themselves. They think instead of the Divine will, which is that their soul should live within the world’s narrow boundaries. Why, then, should they weep over their situation?

Perhaps it might be that the righteous weep because they have not (yet) fulfilled their mission. For the descent of the soul is not an end in itself; it is a means to a yet greater ascent, a complete self-effacement as the soul recognizes its nothingness and the all-embracing reality of G-d. And since the righteous man has some reality in his own eyes, he is not yet at his journey’s end. He still has cause for tears.

And yet, if even the greatest man cannot reach this stage, how can we say he ought to? We cannot demand the impossible.

The truth is that the Jew is a part of G-d. He can rise above the ordinary spiritual possibilities of the world. And he sheds tears at his human limitations, because this is the way to overcome them.

“From my confinement I called upon the L-rd: The L-rd answered me with enlargement.” It is the sense that after all the achievements of a righteous life one is still in a “confinement,” that brings about the “enlargement” which is the loss of man’s self-consciousness and his assimilation into the Divine.

6. Oneness with G-D within the World

This is the significance of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, the time when G-d is at His closest to man, although teshuvah is always important. For these days not only accord it special favor; they elevate it to a new degree. It becomes more than repentance for sin; it becomes the returning of the soul to G-d, the end of spiritual alienation. This sudden possibility allows man to see his human limitations as no longer inevitable. They can be transcended. And therefore they can be wept over—by every Jew.

When man achieves this self-transcendence, he has made a break-through which is possible only to the soul in its earthly existence. He has become one with the Infinite in the very midst of the finite. He thus reveals that the soul’s union with G-d has no limitations whatsoever, for he has reached union with G-d without forsaking the world. “From my confinement I called upon the L-rd,” and within this body, this narrow world, “the L-rd answered me with enlargement.”

7. The Shofar

This explains the meaning of the shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah. Through the shofar (whose physical shape indicates “confinement” at one end and “enlargement” at the other) we evoke the kingship of G-d. And as the Talmud reports, that G-d says, “Recite before Me on Rosh Hashanah verses of kingship, remembrance and the shofar. Kingship—so that you may make Me king over you . . . and through what? Through the shofar.”

The statement is puzzling, because the natural order would be first to proclaim G-d as our king, and then to obey His decrees. How can we evoke G-d’s desire to be our king through performing one of His decrees, which assumes that He is already our King?

The explanation lies in our prayer before the Shofar is blown: “From my confinement I called upon the L-rd. . . .” Our “confinement” is not simply our sins, but our very existence as beings-in-ourselves, as people who feel that we are separate from G-d, and as long as this is true, we have not admitted G-d as our king. But when we stand in this “confinement” and yet “call upon the L-rd” we reach the very Essence of G-dliness, and bring G-d’s “enlargement” into the heart of human life. This is the making of G-d’s kingship. He is king within the world, not above it.

8. The Confines of the World and Its Enlargement

The relation between the Sidra of Haazinu-of Moses’ call and Isaiah’s completion of it—and the Ten Days of Teshuvah (as well as the four days following Yom Kippur), is now clear.

Throughout the year our religious life is concerned with things of the “earth,” the study of the Torah and the practical performance of the commandments. Even the “duties of the heart” belong to our human personality, our intellect, our temperament.

But during the Ten Days, “the spirit shall return to G-d who gave it.” Every Jew must become aware of the “confinement” which the world represents: Aware to the point of tears. He must “call upon the L-rd,” with a thrust and desire to become one with G-d.

A man is where his will is. And by this very act of shedding tears over his “confinement,” he takes himself beyond it. He becomes “close to heaven” and “far from earth.” His overpowering desire is to be “close to heaven”: And that is where he is.

G-d’s response is to “answer me with enlargement,” that is with His presence within the earth, which reveals the true Essence of G-d, as above. The Infinite enters his human habitation. And then he finds G-d “close to the earth” and “far from heaven.”

9. The Lesson of Isaiah

This is true throughout a Jew’s life.

“Heaven” is the Torah, the word of G-d. “Earth” is the commandments, the actions of man. Through learning Torah a Jew draws close to G-d. Through the commandments, he draws G-d into the world.

At first, he must be “close to heaven.” Though he must keep the commandments, his heart must be in the study of Torah.

But this is only the first stage. He must come in time to know that “not learning but doing is the essential thing,” for the real task of man is to change the world, to make it G-d’s dwelling.28

It needed Isaiah to give us this second stage. For the Torah was received by Moses. But to Isaiah fell the prophecy of the future redemption, the time when the world will be G-d’s dwelling-place, when “every form shall know that You have formed it.” When the form of the world will be fused with the Infinity of G-d.

(Source. Likkutei Sichot, Vol. IX pp. 204-214)

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