Parashat Ve’Zot Habracha: How Can We Receive the Blessings of a World Filled with Light and Sweetness?

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Parashat Ve’Zot Habracha
How Can We Receive the Blessings of a World Filled with Light and Sweetness?

Accepting our Incompleteness as a Link Within a Beautiful Necklace
Whenever I clean for Pesach, there is always one more thing to do, the job can never be totally completed. In life as well, we are tagging our tail. When will we complete all the many tasks needed to upkeep and renovate our homes and our hearts? There is so much I’d like to accomplish in life – so many courses to prepare, books to write, relationships to rectify, and character traits to master. However, time is running out, and I must accept that we humans are mortal. How can finite beings accomplish infinite missions? No matter how much we try to  “set our house in order” we cannot avoid leaving some unfinished business behind. Just as we cannot please everyone all the time, but only some people all the time, and all people some of the time, so will we never finish removing all the weeds or cutting off all the dead leaves and flowerheads. We must learn to settle for a dusty house, files with grammar mistakes, unspoken words, and unclimbable mountains. From what I have learned about the breaking of the vessels, the problem was that each vessel was standing on its own – i.e. the Sefirot were originally aligned one on top of the other, without any connection between them. None of the finite vessels could contain all the infinite light by themselves so they broke. From the shattered sparks Hashem remade the world in such a way that instead of being independent, each of the sefirot now works in synchronicity with each other. Rather than comprising one column with each sefirah on top of the other, the sefirot form a pattern of right, left, and middle, each sefirah working in tandem to complement the others. Only through the synergy of all the sefirot working together is it possible to contain the infinite light. In the same way, if we think about ourselves as a link in the chain of human history, each link needing the other to form a beautiful necklace, we can accept being incomplete in ourselves. By allowing others to complete our job, we can find fulfillment and feel blessed!

Inspiring Others to Continue What We Began

Often, I fall into the trap of believing that if I don’t do the job myself, it won’t get done, or if it does get done, it won’t be done well enough. I believe this is the crux of the problem of every micro-manager. I’m working on it and try my best to delegate jobs to my capable staff and allow them to work independently. In Parashat Ve’Zot Habracha Moshe blesses the Israelites, tribe by tribe on the last day of his life. Sadly, Moshe had to leave this world without fulfilling his greatest yearning – to lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land. What may feel like Moshe missed the boat of fulfilling his mission, is a lack of greater perspective. Moshe’s mission was no less than leading the Israelites through the Exodus and the forty-year wilderness wandering, culminating with receiving the Torah and building the Mishkan.  Yehoshua – whom Moshe had ordained – was chosen to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, conquer the land of Canaan, and divide it appropriately for each tribe. If this was not so, Moshe wouldn’t have hit the rock. Parashat Ve’Zot Habracha concludes by describing Moshe’s death and burial in the Land of Moav outside of the Land of Israel (Devarim 34:6). Even the greatest life is an unfinished symphony. Moshe’s death on the far side of the Jordan is a consolation for all of us. None of us need to feel guilty, frustrated, angry or defeated that there are things we hoped to achieve but did not. That is how it is to be human. Our lives are like a bare microsecond set against the almost-eternity of the cosmos. For each of us, there is a river we will never cross, a promised land we will not enter, and a destination we will never reach. That Moshe, the greatest leader who ever lived, was mortal and did not see what he thought was his mission completed, that even he was capable of making a mistake, is the most profound gift G-d could give each of us. Thus, the entire Torah culminates with this message: We are mortal; therefore make every day count. We are fallible; therefore, learn to grow from each mistake. We will not complete the journey; therefore, inspire others to continue what we began (Based on Rabbi Yonathan Sacks, Unfinished Symphony Life-Changing Ideas, Vezot Habracha 5778).

The Greatest Blessing is Knowing Who You Are and Your Mission in Life

ספר דברים פרק לג  פסוק א וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ משֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ:

“This is the blessing with which Moshe, the man of G-d, blessed the children of Israel [just] before his death” (Devarim 33:1).

Knowing who you are and your mission in life is a true blessing. Parashat Ve’Zot Habracha comprises all the blessings that Moshe granted each tribe of Israel before his demise. For example, Moshe blessed Yissachar and Zevulun with distinct missions that complement each other. “To Zevulun he said: ‘Rejoice, Zevulun, in your departure, and Yissachar, in your tents” (Devarim 33:18). Rashi explains that Zevulun and Yissachar entered into a partnership that Zevulun would dwell at the seashore and go out in ships, to trade and make a profit, thereby providing food for Yissachar, who would sit and occupy himself in Torah study. Thus, Moshe’s blessing to Zevulun was to prosper in trade, while his blessing to Yissachar was to prosper through Torah learning and making legal decisions, especially in the realm of calculating and proclaiming the leap yes and establishing the Jewish calendar (Based on Rashi, Devarim 33:18). This kind of partnership has continued throughout the generations until this day. Some Jews devote their lives to Torah, whereas others dedicate themselves to their career while upholding the Torah through their generous contributions. In this way, they share equally in the reward of full-time Torah learning. Although Torah study is generally considered superior to trading, Moshe mentioned Zevulun before Yissachar, even though the latter was the elder of the two because Yissachar’s Torah came through the provisions of Zevulun – (Bereishit Rabbah 99:9). This teaches us not to depreciate those who take up Zevulun’s mantle to work hard and become a provider for Torah scholars.  

Why is Yosef’s Land the Most Fertile and Abundant in the Land of Israel?
Yosef was blessed with fertile land as it states, “His land shall be blessed by Hashem, with the sweetness of the heavens with dew, and with the deep that lies below, and with the sweetness of the produce of the sun, and with the sweetness of the moon’s yield, and with the crops of early mountains, and with the sweetness of perennial hills, and with the sweetness of the land and its fullness…” (Devarim 33:13-16). Rashi comments, “For throughout the inheritance of all the tribes, there was no land as full of goodness as Yosef’s land” (Sifrei 33:13). I can testify that, so it is still today in the Land of Efraim and Menasha in the Shomron (Samaria) north of Jerusalem until Haifa! As below so Above. The physical abundance of Yosef’s land alludes to his spiritual greatness. The Netivot Shalom explains that of the four species we shake on Sukkot, the three branches of myrtle correspond to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’acov, whereas the two willow branches to Moshe and Aharon. Yet the Lulav, taller than all the species, corresponds to Yosef. The lulav resembles the spine, which connects the brain of da’at with most of the body’s organs. Since the lulav is the tallest of them all, the mitzvah is referred to as “taking the lulav,” and the bracha recited is “…Who has made us holy through His mitzvot and has commanded us about taking the lulav” (“al netilat lulav”). The deeper reason for this blessing is that Yosef’s character trait of dedicating every desire completely to Hashem is the main service of every Jew. About Yosef it states, “he restrained himself and said, ‘Serve the food’” (Bereishit 43:31). From this we learn that when we restrain ourselves from fulfilling our lusts, Hashem grants us abundance. Since everyone’s pleasures and pains are determined by heaven, when we take suffering upon ourselves by overcoming our lusts, we will enjoy only pleasures from above. When we follow in Yosef’s footsteps to overcome lusts, our blessings will overflow like Yosef’s, both spiritual blessings – “with the sweetness of the heavens” and physical blessings – “with dew and with the deep that lies below.” For those who don’t sink into this material world – Hashem prepares – a wonderful world filled with light and sweetness.

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Devarim  –
Some Tips for Tapping into the Blessings in Your Life

We learn from Moshe’s blessing of the tribes of Zevulun and Yissachar, to rejoice in our journeys as well as in our tents. In other words, whether we are on a path or at home, it’s important to rejoice! Also, it’s important to teach our children that sometimes the journey is just as important as the end result. The ability to rejoice is another blessing we can count on in our lives. We all experience setbacks in our lives. Focusing on the overwhelming number of positives rather than on the fewer negatives, even though those negatives seem very important at the time, can foster better perspective and balance. The capacity to feel joy is tied directly to being able to enjoy the blessings we do have, and our own joy is contagious. When others witness our ability to rejoice in our blessings, they will learn to do the same. As we move deeper into the final redemption tremendous blessings and an increased energy are sent down to earth for expanded awareness. To receive these blessings, we need to make ourselves a proper vessel.   

·       When You Feel a Shift of Greater Energy Flow – relax into letting it happen. Just be with what is. There is nothing to do, and nowhere to go, other than just letting go of expectations and allowing the moment to have its way with you. Your new blessings know exactly what needs to happen, they carry their own wisdom, so relax and allow them to do what they will.

·       Welcome the Blessings in Your Lives – Don’t be afraid. The more you appreciate your blessings, the more they will increase. Even if the new energy shift will shake things up a bit, you can pay attention to what is going on in the moment and learn to balance your energies through self-examination.  

·       Learn from the Mirror of the Negative Behavior of Others that You Notice --everything that comes into your awareness serves as a mirror. You have called all these people and events into your life to show you parts of your consciousness you have not yet wanted to look at before. As Ba’al Shem Tov teaches whatever we see or hear about someone else, we must understand that we have a tinge of that ourselves (Toldot Ya’acov Yosef, Parashat Lech Lecha). If you judge others, somewhere in your psyche, you have judged yourself. We learn this from King David whom the Prophet Natan told a parable. When David judged the rich man in the parable, he learned that he had judged himself (II Shemuel 12:1-15). 

·       Avoid Judging Others – for judgment never heals anyone, or anything, at any time. You cannot impose your rules on others. Judgment is an attempt to make what is One into separated parts, with the hope that ‘your’ part will be superior over ‘other’ parts. This judgment derives from an inferior complex. If you truly knew yourself to be “better,” compassion would be your response. If you have compassion you cannot judge for you understand from the point of compassion that the person who is before you at this moment can act no differently!

Learn to Love Through the Awareness that we are All One – When you are one with humanity and have not placed yourself above it, tears of compassion will flow from your eyes, and you won’t be able to see anything but the One – the One that we all emanate from and Whom we are part of. There is only One. You may think you are a small entity, moving through a perilous world to an unknown end. Yet, when the Oneness opens within you are going to know that we are all part of the same Oneness, and none of it can hurt you. Expanding our awareness of the dialectic between our individual gifts and missions, operating within the greater Oneness of the Creator, is the greatest blessing of all. 

Getting a Glimpse of an Elevated Perception in the Sukkah

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Spiritual Healing in the Torah Shabbat Sukkot Getting a Glimpse of an Elevated Perception in the Sukkah

Tapping into the Inherent Unity of Sukkot  

Sukkot is one of my favorite holidays. We have gone through so much inner work and soul accounting during the last forty+ days, starting with Rosh Chodesh Elul and culminating in Yom Kippur. Now it’s time to rejoice as it states, “…and to the straight of heart, there is joy” (Tehillim 97:11). On Sukkot we can tap into the unity that is in the air. Rav Kook explains “Every resident among the Israelites shall live in Sukkot (Vayikra 23:42), according to the Talmudic statement “The Israelites were worthy to dwell in one Sukkah” (Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 27b). The underlying reason for the special unity during Sukkot is that as long as our sins tie down our lives with shackles, we are torn apart by our individual negative impulse which prevents us from experiencing the unity of shalom. Only after the light of teshuva has appeared in our world by means of the holiness of Yom Kippur – when all Jews become purified from the crust of sin – can we hope for expanded unity consciousness. Then, the light of the purity of our soul transforms our separateness to become more and more unified. When Sukkot arrives all our separate opinions and worldviews rise to the place of complete unity, and all Jews become worthy to dwell together in one Sukkah (Rav Kook, The Seasons of Rav Kook p. 96). This is the essence of the mitzvah of the Sukkah, to strive for all-inclusive love and shalom together with the entire Jewish people, to the extent that it will be considered as if all of Israel dwells in one unified Sukkah (Rebbe Natan of Breslev). When we hear the sound of all the neighbors – including the wailing of a baby, or the loud voices of a heated discussion – from the thin walls of our Sukkah, the noise is transformed into the sweetest music of the unified Sukkot experience.  

 

Elevating Ourselves to Experiencing Joy from Our Rarified Relationships in the Sukkah 

I love gazing at the sparkling stars from the roof of the Sukkah palm branches. We use our own palm branches that my husband became an expert in cutting. The date palm near the entrance of our home needs to be pruned annually, and if you know me, you know how much it means to me to avoid wasting by all means. Using the garden refuse as the roof of our Sukkah reminds us that nothing goes to waste. Everything has a purpose and a time to be elevated on high.  

Elevations are what bring about the greatest joy. After having elevated ourselves on Yom Kippur, the Sukkah itself is the most inviting space for experiencing such joy – especially when we celebrate together with loved ones within the Sukkah – eating beautiful foods, singing, and sharing the deepest Sukkah Torah. At times we get a taste of true joy that comes from the rarified relationships with parents, spouses, children, friends, neighbors – our relationships with our community, with our Creator, and with the scattered parts of ourselves that we elevate and gather into the Sukkah.  

 

Gaining a Higher Perception in the Sukkah Beyond the Material Layer 

The Hebrew word סֻכָּה/sukkah – ‘booth’ has the same root as the word סוֹכָה/Sochah – ‘perceiving with Divine Inspiration.’ Our Mother, Sarah’s prophetic spirit is learned from her second name יִסְכָּה/Yisca, which also shares the same root. Since the Sukkah embodies the Clouds of Glory – a manifestation of the Divine Indwelling Presence – it makes sense that this Divine presence imbues us with a higher perception. The Sukkah is also a miniature Beit Hamikdash – ‘Temple,’ and so we refer to the destroyed Temples as “the Sukkah of David that fell.” The Temple has always been linked to prophecy (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 12a), and likewise, we can tap into Divine Inspiration in the Sukkah. You don’t need to be a psychic to fathom how the simple Sukkah gives us a glimpse of how the accumulation of stuff is far from essential. Possessions may provide a rush when first acquired, but the soul is not satiated, which is why possessions create the need for more. According to the Talmud, human nature is such that “one who has one hundred wants two hundred… The realization that material possessions don’t make us happy is the gate to gaining a higher perspective. In the Sukkah, we come to recognize that earthly matters in and of themselves are only temporary. We may also realize that this entire world is like a Sukkah – a temporary dwelling – only an antechamber to the next world. While sitting in the Sukkah, under Hashem’s Clouds of Glory, we gain an understanding of the transient nature of everything connected to this world and its temporary pleasures. However, when we use worldly matters for the sake of Heaven, we make our Sukkah an abode for Divinity. When we realize that the only thing that matters is cleaving to Hashem, this world and everything in it merge with the coming world to become one permanent dwelling for G-d. Wherever we are right now, let us pray for a higher perception to dwell in Hashem’s house forever.   

 

EmunaHealing Exercise for Peeking into the Divine Inspiration Available in the Sukkah  

1. Enter your Sukkah or if you don’t have your own enter any Sukkah. The Sukkah is the perfect place for meditation and spiritual healing, for in the Sukkah we are enveloped by Hashem’s Protecting Clouds of Glory. Make yourself comfortable as you take refuge under the shade of Hashem’s protective wings. Inhale the holy air enveloping you in the Sukkah, and exhale what no longer serves you. Let’s repeat this mindful breathing four more times.               

2. After having been cleansed by the Days of Awe you emerge upright and whole as you take in the Sukkah energy. The word for the name of the Sukkah roof ‘Sechach’ shares the root of the name of the holiday ‘Sukkot.’ Raise your eyes towards the Sechach and look for the stars in the gaps between the palm branches and between each part of the leaves. Can you get a glimpse of a twinkling star? 

3. You have left the comfort zone of your home, to dwell in this flimsy, temporary structure. You have left so many of your possessions behind in your ‘old home’ together with your own outer shell. Now you are alone with your essence. How does it feel to be stripped of all the extras? What else can you shed together with your material possessions that you no longer need? Are there old thinking patterns that block your ability to express your kind, loving, caring empathy, and reflect the Divine Presence? 

4. Breathe the Sukkah energy into your head and heart and breathe out any old and stale negative emotion that holds you back from experiencing the joy of Sukkot.  

5. As you peel off the old layers of pain, hurt feelings, and past traumas, let yourself tap into the expanded consciousness available in the Sukkah. Breathe in a feeling of calmness into every part of your body: Your head with its eyes, nose, and mouth, your throat, chin, and neck, your lungs, heart, and stomach, and all of your inner organs. Allow the calm, serene feeling of the Sukkah to penetrate each part of your being.  

6. The word סֻכָּה/Sukkah is related to סוֹכָה/Sochah – ‘perceiving with Divine Inspiration.’ Imagine opening yourself to receive the Divine inspiration available in the Sukkah, right now. You may focus on a vital life question that you have pondered for a while. Breathe into this question as you relax even more in the holy Sukkah. Close your eyes and cup your hands in front of your chest, shoulder distance apart, ready to receive. Pay attention to your breath and to any thought or feeling coming to you right now. Perhaps you sense a spiritual clue for you to decipher and apply to your life.   

7. As you tap into the expanded perception of the Sukkah, open and finetune all your senses. Allow the sounds of the Sukkah to enter your awareness, can you hear your neighbors singing and celebrating? Tune into the nearness of everyone around you through the thin walls of the Sukkah. Can you feel how it is as if all our sukkots are merging to become one big Sukkah? Perhaps you can get a glimpse of the supreme Sukkah as it states, “The Israelites were worthy to dwell in one Sukkah” (Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 27b).  ___________________________

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