Parashat Vayetze: How are the Angels of the Land of Israel Different than Angels from Elsewhere?

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Parashat Vayetze
How are the Angels of the Land of Israel Different than Angels from Elsewhere? 

How Do You Sense the Angels Present in Your Life?
I’ve always been fascinated by mystical and angelic beings, and I wish I could see them or at the very least communicate with even one. While I haven’t yet been blessed with a conscious relationship with my own guardian angel, I do sense the presence of angels in my life. When my sons were young, they often did so many dangerous things somehow without injuring themselves, that it seemed like Hashem’s angels were protecting them. It also regularly happens that I receive exactly what I was missing in mysterious ways as if an angel was appointed as my personal emissary. For example, several times when I prepared a fruit basket for a sick woman in our community but didn’t have the time to bring it, someone – who was anyway going in the same direction – came to my doorstep at that precise moment, happy to deliver it, what an angel!   Last week, for our Rosh Chodesh Kislev Retreat, I had to cook the Friday night meal for 19 people in two hours with only one kitchen helper. Somehow, we managed to prepare meat, veggies, several dips, and salads, besides a gluten-free dessert in a short time. Everything just flowed and we finished all the cooking and most of the cleaning up in the same amount of time it usually takes to cook for only two people! I truly sensed the extra helping hands of the angels. One of my friends claims to communicate with angels in her spiritual healing practice. She told me that the departed ancestors of her clients come to bring a message to help their descendants heal. To my reaction that departed ancestors aren’t exactly angels, she responded that they introduce themselves as angels, and she has learned that you can never win when arguing with an angel! So, considering that the original meaning of the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ/malach – ‘angel’ is ‘messenger,’ I concede that in a broader sense, anyone who carries a spiritual message can be considered an angel.

Do You Have to Be a Prophet to Sense the Presence of Angels?

I’m not going to argue with my friend’s claim that she communicates with angels, despite that according to Rambam angels cannot be perceived with our senses. Rather than being physical manifestations within this world, angels are an expression of Divine Supervision. Therefore, whenever Scripture refers to ‘seeing’ angels, it is due to a prophetic vision (Rambam, The Guide of the Perplexed 2:41-44). Ramban, however, makes a radical distinction between prophecy and visions, including the vision of an angel. Not only can one ‘see’ an angel without being a prophet, but there exists a phenomenon where one ‘sees’ things and experiences things normally not experienced. The Ramban agrees that angels being spiritual, are generally invisible, nonetheless, people who aren’t prophets could have visions of angels. It involves a deeper sense of seeing, as G-d “opens the eyes” of someone to enable him to see the angels that are really there. You cannot see them with normal eyes, which are sensitive to light waves, but G-d endows certain people with the special ability that allows them to ‘see’ angels (Based on Ramban, Bereishit 18:1). In defense of Rambam, we recall that the word מַלְאָךְ/malach – means ‘messenger or agent’ and angels can be understood to be G-d’s heavenly agents, closely associated with Him.  So, for instance, when an angel calls out to Hagar in the wilderness and tells her to return to Sarai (Bereishit 16:9-12), we understand it to refer to the voice of G-d.  This perception is strengthened by the fact that the angel uses a first-person singular case when referring to an action of G-d.  “He said to her: I shall greatly increase your seed; it shall not be numbered for multitude” (Bereishit 16:10). The same thing occurs when the angel prevents Avraham from slaughtering Yitzchak declaring “…now I know that you are a G-d-fearing person, for you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me” (Bereishit 22:12). This does not imply that a malach is another name for G-d, but rather it is Hashem’s emissary acting on His behalf.

 

What is an Angel and What is its Mission in the World?

There are many different sorts of angels, some who more directly represent Hashem’s will and others who carry out Divine retribution. Angels can manifest themselves through good or evil people who affect us. “G-d has made one corresponding to the other” (Kohelet 7:14). When a person sins, a destructive angel is created as it says about Bilam, when he went to curse the Jewish people, a destructive angel was created (Bamidbar 22:22,32). Yet, G-d’s compassion is expressed even through the destructive angel who waits for the person to do teshuva before it can return back home, where it desires to be. All the more so when we perform a mitzvah, we create a guardian angel (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 32:6). The mission of angels of this category is threefold:

1.     It saves us from harm and damage.

2.     It saves us and guards us from committing any wrongdoing.

3.  It goes before Hashem and recommends us for good, since the angel is created from the certain mitzvah that we performed.

(Tiferet Shlomo on the Torah, Parashat Devarim).

What is the Difference between the Angels of the Holy Land and Angels of Outside Israel?

In Parashat Vayetze we learn about the angels that escort Ya’acov when leaving the Land of Israel to build his family, and when returning back home.

ספר בראשית פרק כח פסוק יב

וַיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ:

“He dreamed and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it” (Bereishit 28:12).          

 

Rashi explains that the angels who escorted Ya’acov in the Holy Land ascended to heaven, as they do not serve outside the Land of Israel. Once Ya’acov left the Land of Israel, a different category of angels descended to escort him there (Rashi, Bereishit 28:12). Why did Rashi explain the Torah verse differently than its simple meaning that Ya’acov dreamed about a ladder on which angels would go up and down? According to the simple level of angels coming down and going up, it should have stated, “Descending” before “Ascending” since the abode of the angels is above, and we would expect them to come down from there before going back up.  Therefore, according to Rashi the Torah verse refers specifically to switching the angels of the Land of Israel with those outside of the Land. It thus makes sense that the angels of the Holy Land ascend and return on high when Ya’acov departs from there, before the new category of angels – whose domain is outside of Israel – descend to escort Ya’acov. One of the sub-commentaries on Rashi asks, why didn’t the angels from outside Israel descend to be ready to protect Ya’acov before the angels of the Land of Israel left him? Then Ya’acov wouldn’t be left even a moment without protection. He explains that the angels outside of Israel are on a lower level than those guarding the Holy Land. They, therefore, do not have permission to exhibit dominion in the presence of the angels of the Land of Israel, so they had to wait to descend until the angels of the Holy Land had ascended (Mashkil l’David, on Rashi, Bereishit 28:12). Even if we understand angels to represent Divine Providence, there is a distinction between Divine providence within the Land of Israel and outside her. This is stated explicitly in the Torah: “A Land Hashem, your G-d, looks after; the eyes of Hashem, your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Devarim 11:12). Thus, the angels – the spiritual powers of G-d’s providence within the Land were taken from Ya’acov when he left the Land on his journey to Charan and were returned to him when he returned to the Land: 

ספר בראשית פרק לב פסוק ב וְיַעֲקֹב הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּוֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים:(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָם מַחֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים זֶה וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מַחֲנָיִם:

“Then Ya’acov went on his way, and angels of G-d met him. And when Ya’acov saw them, he said, ‘This is the camp of G-d’ and he named that place Machanaim” (Bereishit 32:2-3).

AND ANGELS OF G-D MET HIM - the angels of Eretz Yisrael came to greet him and escort him to the Land. MACHANAIM - Two camps, [one of the angels] outside the land, who came with him up to here, and [one of the angels] of Israel, who came to greet him (Rashi, Bereishit 32:2-3).

Angels of Love versus Angels of Anger

I was wondering how exactly the angels of the Land of Israel distinguish themselves and was happy to discover an interesting answer from a Chassidic perspective: The angels in Israel are distinguished above all other angels as Angels of Love, while those outside Eretz Yisrael are Angels of Anger (Shem MiShmuel Parashat Vayishlacḥ 5678). This differentiation parallels the Talmudic distinction between the Torah scholars of Eretz Yisrael and Babylon.

Rabbi Oshaya said: “What is the meaning of the verse ‘And I took for Myself two staffs; one I called Pleasantness (Noam), and one I called Destroyers (Chovlim); and I tended the flock.’ ‘Noam’ refers to the scholars of the Land of Israel, who treat each other graciously when engaged in halachic debates; ‘Chovlim’ to the scholars of Babylon, who injure each other’s feelings when discussing halacha” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 24a).

Thus, the angels of Eretz Yisrael – similarly to the scholars of the Land – are angels of love, as opposed to the angels outside the Land, who are angels of anger. Service of G-d outside the Land is on the level of “Shun evil,” of instigating the Good Impulse against the Evil Impulse. In contrast, Divine service in the Land is on the level of “Do good” – The service of G-d filled with love and graciousness (Shem MiShmuel Parashat Vayishlacḥ 5678). The angels who accompanied Ya’acov assisted him in dealing with the various difficulties he faced. At the home of the deceitful Lavan Ya’acov had to overcome Lavan’s numerous attempts to cheat him. When returning to the Holy Land, Ya’acov’s service was once again on the level of pleasantness. Therefore, he was then escorted by angels of love who helped him with grace and pleasantness. Yet outside the Land, he was accompanied by angels of anger who helped him in his struggle to protect himself and his family from the deceit of Lavan. From the perspective that angels represent Divine Providence – outside the Land, G-d’s providence was limited to saving Ya’acov from Lavan’s evil, while within Eretz Yisrael G-d’s providence over Ya’acov was complete, and he dwelt in tranquility (Based on Nir Shaul, presented by: Rabbi Mordechai Gershon, Israel National News, Eretz Yisrael Yomi, Nov 12, 2021).

G-d’s Providence over the Land of Israel in Our Days

Whereas one can attain levels of spirituality and Torah learning outside Israel, G-d taught Ya’acov that the levels we can achieve in Eretz Israel are higher. As Rabbi Yehudah Halevi affirms, just as a vineyard can only flourish in a place with the proper conditions and climate, so can Israel only flourish spiritually on its own land (The Kuzari II, 12). Abarbanel concurs that the angels of Eretz Israel are superior to the angels in Chutz la-Aretz and that this was G-d’s way of reminding Ya’acov that he must return to Eretz Yisrael, which is on a higher spiritual level. Ya’acov understood the Divine message and took an oath that he would return to his father’s house in Eretz Israel:

ספר בראשית פרק כח פסוק כ וַיִּדַּר יַעֲקֹב נֶדֶר לֵאמֹר אִם יִהְיֶה אֱלֹהִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבּשׁ: (כא) וְשַׁבְתִּי בְשָׁלוֹם אֶל בֵּית אָבִי וְהָיָה הַשֵׁם לִי לֵאלֹהִים:

“Ya’acov uttered a vow, saying, ‘If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way, upon which I am going… Then I will return in peace to my father’s house, and Hashem will be my G-d (Bereishit 28:20-21).

Ya’acov, as we know, did return. Throughout the generations, Jews have been pursued and persecuted, and today is no exception. The merit of the Eretz Yisrael is crucial for the protection of Jews everywhere in the world. Yet, the challenges facing the Jewish people who have returned to our Holy Homeland are mitigated by the immense Divine protection we experience here. It is truly a miracle that we keep surviving! G-d’s special supervision in the Promised Land is certainly felt today more than ever, with the interception of so many missiles flying over Israel. It is undoubtedly due to G-d sending His protecting angels to guard us. May Hashem’s angels keep protecting our soldiers and may we experience even more revealed miracles in the Land as Hashem guides our leaders to let Good triumph over Evil! 

Recognizing Hashem’s Providence Even Within the Mundane

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Parashat Toldot
Recognizing Hashem’s Providence Even Within the Mundane 

Gratitude for the Miracles Happening in the Current War

Although Israel is going through incredibly challenging times, Hashem’s protective hand can clearly be found. It may not be easy to see the miracles in the current War amidst the mourning for the fallen soldiers. Yet keep in mind that despite the massive international effort to wipe us off the map, it is a miracle that Israel continues to exist. Yair Ansbacher, an IDF reservist and a research fellow at the Misgav Institute, explains, “We are not only fighting Hamas in Gaza but a regional war against Iran and its proxies, which have been systematically built up for 40 years on our borders. This includes Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza, which surround us with militias and with rocket arsenals.” Ansbacher gives details regarding the three miracles that happened at the onset of the war by which Israel was saved from total destruction: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/379443. Although Chamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history and hurled 9,500 rockets from October 7-November 9, about 10% were failed launches, which fell in the Gaza Strip. Many more were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force. I just heard an amazing miracle story of how Hashem sent His messenger to warn our soldiers, who were going to search for hostages in Gaza. The story is told by Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein, who heard it from a very reliable source: Rabbi Orbach of Baer Miriam. As the soldiers were going to enter a certain house to search its tunnels, a holy Rabbi blocked their way and prevented them from entering. When – in order to obey their commander – the soldiers tried to pass by the Rabbi, they experienced walking right through him. Realizing this was not a regular person, the soldiers heeded his warning and left the building seconds before it blew up: https://youtu.be/9vRcgHXZepI?si=T5xoHkpF7vWKReOC. Yet, the greatest miracle of all is the awakening of the Israelite spirit. As hard as it is to live through this war and mourn its causalities, I feel it is a tremendous elevating merit to live in Israel during this messianic epoch. All of Israel religious and secular have come together to fight as one united people against our common enemy. I’m filled with gratitude for the way EVERYONE is there for one another, working on so many levels to become better people. This includes the solidarity and care we feel from the Jews of the Diaspora, who are more connected with their brothers and sisters in Israel in a way I’ve never experienced before. So within the pain of our bereavement during the current war, let us not forget the attitude of gratitude and thank Hashem for the miracles happening whether hidden or revealed before our very eyes.                               

The Challenge of Giving Credit to Hashem for Our Personal Accomplishments

When we experience Hashem’s direct providence in our lives, it is much easier to give Him credit and feel gratitude. For example, there are several stories of how a person missed his flight which subsequently crashed. There is no doubt in the mind of that person that Hashem’s mighty hand protected him. Yet, it is harder to realize that the regular happenings of our lives too are divinely ordained, especially when we ourselves put much effort into accomplishing a certain task. I’m personally struggling with truly and deeply recognizing that – even when I myself put great effort and skill into attaining a certain goal – the credit for the attainment is only Hashem’s. When my son met his bashert (Divinely destined soulmate) on a religious dating site, people asked me who was the shadchan (matchmaker). I had to overcome the temptation to answer, “I was the matchmaker” because I published my son’s profile on the dating site, and I saw the post from the girl he ended up marrying, I found her phone number and gave it to my son. Yet, when I delved deeper, I realized that it was Hashem who gave me the idea to post my son’s profile on that dating site, and it was Hashem who led his soulmate to make a comment. It was G-d who guided me in how to find her phone number, and it was also Hashem who caused them to give each other a second chance after the first meeting. It takes constant work to look for Hashem’s underlying supervision in all the little miracles that happen to us daily, and even more so it takes conscious work to remember to thank Him continually for each hidden miracle. I just received a $14,000 donation for our bomb shelter from a childhood friend from Denmark who became very wealthy. I had expended a lot of work and effort into receiving this donation, and additional donations through our bomb shelter campaign. It is a great temptation to take credit and think, “Although I never received any official training in fundraising – I’m pretty good at it.” Again, I must remember, that it is Hashem who inspired me to write fundraising appeals, and He is the one who aroused the Chabad Rabbi of Denmark to reach out to me to help and speak with my childhood friend on my behalf. Even my intense prayers are only due to Hashem infusing me with a soul and stirring me to call out to Him. Finally, it is only Hashem who opened the heart of the friend and guided him to give such a generous donation to Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin.  

Recognizing Divine Providence in Our Daily Day Occurrences

Ya’acov is a great role model for realizing how not only the revealed miracles but even the regular happenings of our lives are divinely ordained. In Parashat Toldot, we learn the famous story of how Yitzchak ended up imparting his blessing upon Ya’acov, rather than his firstborn Esav. When Rivkah heard that Yitzchak instructed Esav to hunt and prepare food for him, promising to then grant him his blessing when the food was served, she immediately sprang into action to ensure that the blessing would be granted to Ya’acov. Rivkah prepared a meal from the goats of the family flock and had Ya’acov bring it to Yitzchak, disguised as Esav. When Ya’acov first came before his father with the food his mother had prepared, Yitzchak asked him how he managed to complete his mission so quickly. After all, Yitzchak had asked Esav to go out and hunt and then prepare food – a process that he naturally expected would take far longer than it took Rivkah to prepare meat from a goat in the family’s stable. 

ספר בראשית פרק כז פסוק כ וַיֹּאמֶר יִצְחָק אֶל בְּנוֹ מַה זֶּה מִהַרְתָּ לִמְצֹא בְּנִי וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי הִקְרָה הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְפָנָי:

“Then Yitzchak said to his son, ‘How is it that you have found [it] so quickly, my son?’ And he said, ‘Because Hashem your G-d made it available before me” (Bereishit 27:20).

 Ya’acov explained that whereas normally hunting an animal would take a good deal of time, G-d helped him and made an animal easily accessible, such that he completed his mission with unusual speed. Rav Shimshon Chaim ben Rav Nachman Michael Nachmani explains that Ya’acov here was not speaking untruthfully. Ya’acov recognized G-d’s hand in providing the goats in the family herd no less than he would have recognized G-d’s providence in making an animal instantly and easily trappable in the field. There was no difference, in Ya’acov’s mind, between the animals in the pen adjacent to his home and an animal that would miraculously fall into a trap without any effort on the hunter’s part. Both were manifestations of “hikra Hashem Elokekha” – divine providence. (Zera Shimshon, Parashat Toldot, 12). We all have a tendency to take for granted what we are accustomed to having and only feel grateful for the unusual, unexpected blessings that come our way. We don’t think twice about ‘the goats in the family pen,’ the beautiful blessings that have long been part of our lives, about which we haven’t had to think twice, such as health, family, and our basic necessities. It is only when we receive some exceptional, unforeseen good fortune that we feel a deep sense of gratitude. Ya’acov teaches us to feel appreciative and enthusiastic about even the ‘ordinary’ blessings in our lives that are part of everyday existence, recognizing them as precious gifts lovingly granted to us by the Almighty (Rav David Silverberg, S.A.L.T. – Parashat Toldot). It is this recognition that made Ya’acov worthy to inherit the ancestral blessing of the Holy Land, where Hashem’s providence is experienced to the greatest extent.

 

 

 

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Toldot

Ramban teaches us to believe that everything that happens is a miracle. Therefore, it is important to commemorate the revealed miracles that testify to the everyday hidden miracles (Ramban, Shemot 13:16). The more we recognize divine miraculous providence the more we attract Hashem’s miracles to happen in our lives. When we make efforts to cling to Hashem perpetually, never taking our mind off Him, even when we are engaged in worldly pursuits and in the mundane conduct of life such as eating and the like), we will be constantly protected even from natural events. The divine protection we receive is in direct proportion to the extent that we recognize Divine providence. Whereas someone who is more distant in his thoughts and actions will be more subject to the natural course of events.

• Recognize G-d as the Source of Your Success – How often do we fall into the trap of thinking our success comes from our own efforts? Let us remember that without G-d’s gifts of health, intelligence, opportunities, and resources, we would never be able to accomplish anything.
• Request Forgiveness and Recite a Prayer of Thanks – Avinu (Our Father), forgive me for the times I fall into the trap of thinking I have accomplished something on my own. I realize that without You, I am nothing. Help me to praise You for the many ways You help me each and every day. 
• Praise Hashem for Your Accomplishments – As you step into emunah praise Hashem for His strength and guidance in leading you in the right path. As you succeed in helping others, give G-d the credit for giving you the right words to say, and for guiding your actions. 
• Thank G-d for Helping You Overcome Your Fears – As you overcome your anxieties and fears by strengthening your emunah, thank the Almighty for granting you valor and for infusing your heart with courage. 
• Believe the Torah that Hashem will Grant us Victory – Recite positive affirmations to strengthen your emunah in the forthcoming victory and repeat this encouraging Torah verse three times:

ספר דברים פרק כ פסוק ד כִּי הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהושִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם:

“For Hashem your G-d is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory” (Devarim 20:4)

How do We Repair the Israelites’ Lack of Emunah?

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Parashat Devarim
How do We Repair the Israelites’ Lack of Emunah? 

Tapping Into Flashes of Experiencing Divine Providence in Our Lives

We need a lot of emunah (faith) to live in Israel. When we were first married, I tried to make a budget. I would write our estimated income (Aliyah support, tutoring, my husband’s occasional private patients…) on one side of the paper and our expenses on the other. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the numbers to match up. So, I crumbled the paper and threw it in the garbage, raising my arms to Hashem, praying, “Hashem please take care of us!” and it worked. I don’t know exactly how since we both were full-time yeshiva students. Whenever people would ask “How do you manage financially?” I would raise my head on high and respond: “Hashem!” We lived this way for seven full years, and this experience – etched so strongly in my soul – has been imprinting the rest of our lives. Whenever facing thorny challenges not knowing how to untangle myself from worry and pain, I tap into my latent emunah buried in my experiential memory of living directly by the hand of Hashem.

Although we know it, our yetzer hara often makes us forget that Hashem is in charge of everything, and since He is ultimately good, everything that happens to us must be for the good. When we feel abandoned to chance, we can strengthen our emunah by tapping into our past experiences of being keenly aware of the Divine supervision in our lives. This is one of the main reasons for keeping the Jewish holidays instructing us to constantly commemorate Hashem’s miracles during the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah, the deliverance from the Greeks and from Haman and his Henchmen etc.  

Do we Believe in the Miracles that we Ourselves have Experienced?

Emunah is not only vital for living in Israel but is also the main principle of life in general, as it states: Chabakuk came and established the 613 mitzvot upon one, as it states: “The righteous person shall live by his faith” (Chabbakuk 2:4); (Babylonian Talmud Makkot 24a). Yet the Israelites – during their journey in the wilderness – struggled greatly with their emunah. Although they had experienced Hashem’s repeated miracles, being nourished by the heavenly manna and quenching their thirst from the miraculous well, they expressed their wavering faith through constant complaint and fear of conquering the Promised Land. In the first chapter of the Book of Devarim, Moshe admonishes the Israelites for their lack of faith in Hashem their G-d:

ספר דברים פרק א פסוק כט וָאֹמַר אֲלֵכֶם לֹא תַעַרְצוּן וְלֹא תִירְאוּן מֵהֶם: (ל) הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם הוּא יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אִתְּכֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם לְעֵינֵיכֶם: (לא) וּבַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתָ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאֲךָ הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ בְּכָל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הֲלַכְתֶּם עַד בֹּאֲכֶם עַד הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה:(לב) וּבַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֵינְכֶם מַאֲמִינִם בַּהָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:

“I said to you, “Do not be broken or afraid of them. Hashem, your G-d, Who goes before you He will fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, and in the desert, where you have seen how Hashem, your G-d, has carried you as a man carries his son, all the way that you have gone, until you have come to this place. But regarding this matter, you do not believe Hashem, your G-d (Devarim 1:29-32).        

Why did Moshe say: “In this matter you do not believe in G-d”? Moshe referred to the miracles when Hashem lifted the whole Jewish people out of Egypt just as a father carries his son. Yet, the Israelites did not even believe the miracles they themselves had experienced. This is alluded to in the Zohar’s well-known parable about the son who asks a stranger if he has seen his father, being oblivious that his father is carrying him on his shoulder. This is the meaning of “in this matter you did not have faith in Hashem your G-d.” In view of the continued miracles performed constantly by G-d there was no excuse for this lack of faith (Ohr Hachaim, Devarim 1:32). A child being carried on his father’s shoulders doesn’t necessarily see his father, likewise whenever we feel a lack of faith and distanced from Hashem, we are unmindful of Hashem’s perpetual protecting presence carrying us through the hardships of our lives.

We Need to Strong Rectified Emunah to Enter the Land of Israel

According to Rashi “this matter” in which the Israelites lacked belief refers to Hashem’s promises to bring them to the Land of Israel. Likewise, Rebbe Natan of Breslev expounds: Parashat Devarim is replete with words of rebuke for the Israelites causing their own delay to linger in the desert for forty years. This was due to the sin of the Golden Calf and the sin of the spies who blemished emunah, as it states, “But regarding this matter, you do not believe Hashem, your G-d (Devarim 1:32). The main tikkun (rectification) for entering the Land of Israel is emunah. This is “The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations” (Tehillim 111:6). Since “the entire earth belongs to the Almighty; He created it and gave it to whomever He deemed proper, it follows that when He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us” (Rashi, Bereishit 1:1). Due to the Israelites’ lack of emunah in this principle, they caused their delay in entering Israel. This lack of Emunah also brought about the destruction of the temples and it strengthened the other side to expel the Jewish people from our land. To this day the nations still say: “You are thieves, by taking hold of the Land of Israel.” Israel’s blemished emunah in Hashem’s justified power to give us the Land of Israel empowers their claim. All exiles and destructions are caused by the Israelites’ lack of emunah in our right to the Land of Israel. Therefore, we read Parashat Devarim with Moshe’s rebuke about this matter (Devarim 1:32) the Shabbat before the ninth of Av, when we mourn for the exiles and destructions of the temples. The following shabbat we read Parashat Va’etchanan, to draw down the immense gift that Moshe granted us through his numerous prayers to come to the land of Israel (Likutei Halachot, Hilchot Chol Hamo’ed, Shomer Sachar 4). The current Aliyah surge indicates that more and more Jewish people are beginning to believe in our deserving the Land of Israel. This will with – the help of Hashem – silence the malicious claims against our inherent right to the Promised Land.

Only Through Emunah Can we Succeed

Whenever we are on the way to holiness and achieving great achievements, the doubts of ‘the other side’ attempt to confuse us and make us lose our connections with Hashem and kedusha.

To succeed in anything, we must believe in what we are doing. By strengthening our emunah in Hashem, we can learn to believe in whatever Hashem guides us to do. EmunaHealing is all about emunah. To succeed in EmunaHealing it is vital to believe in the power of spiritual healing. Even if we are beginners and our work is only 40% accurate, we still need to believe in our ability to channel Hashem’s healing power. Gradually very gradually we learn to become more accurate, and our channel will become more and more pure. Without this emunah we will be unable to achieve the desired results. For example, when I first started doing my annual juice fast, it didn’t work, because I stopped believing 100% that the juice fast was good for me. I was not in a supportive environment, my husband the Dr. doesn’t believe in juice fasts, and people were telling me that I looked horrible… I became more and more doubtful, and this lack of emunah affected my immune system, so I contracted an ear infection. In subsequent years, I have learned to protect myself from negative comments of others and believe in the efficiency of my annual juice fast to cleanse my body. Baruch Hashem, with this positive attitude and emunah in what I am doing I have experienced amazing healing results.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Tuning into Hashem’s Perpetual, Protective Presence

1. Settle yourself in a beautiful comfortable place where you can be alone with yourself and with Hashem. Breathe deeply and become aware of your thoughts.

2. Do you have any fears and worries that suck your energy and weaken you? Allow all these fearful worried thoughts to surface into your conscious mind. Explore them without judging them. Validate their existence and breathe into them.

3. Whenever we harbor negative thoughts, we are oblivious to Hashem’s presence in our lives. Remind yourself that Hashem is with you even within your fears and worries. Envision yourself as a child on the shoulders of your Almighty Father. Until recently you were unaware that you are riding on Hashem’s shoulders. Now breathe into this image of being carried by your Almighty Father, feeling supported and cared for. 

4. While continuing to breathe mindfully recall a potent memory where you clearly felt Hashem’s presence in your life. What did it feel like when you became aware of the divine supervision in your personal life. Tune into the feeling of emunah you had then.

5. Breathe into the emunah you had when you felt so supported by Hashem and amplify it. Can you tap into this feeling of faith right now?

6. Now meditate on the miracles you have experienced in your life, as you tune into your personal miracles imagine turning up the volume of your emunah as you would turn up the volume on your speaker or phone.

7. Imagine placing the emunah you experienced in the past into your handbag and bringing it into your present life. Can you superimpose your past emunah unto your current fearful and worried thoughts?

8. If your emunah could speak what would it tell your fears and worries? Give your emunah its proper voice and allow it to assuage all your fears and worries. You may want to extend this speech into a dialogue between your emunah and your negative thoughts. Imagine how they would respond to your voice of emunah but allow your emunah to get the last word!