Why May We Not Gaze at the Multicolored Rainbow?

Parashat Noach
Printable Version

Rainbow Repentance

I have hardly ever seen a rainbow, and although I have learned the appropriate blessing to recite when seeing a rainbow, I don’t recall ever saying it. I long to see the exquisite sight of the multicolored rainbow in the cloud, and revel in the beauty of Hashem’s natural phenomena. Yet, sadly, seeing a rainbow is not such a good omen, because it is a sign that the world deserved to be destroyed. Although it may seem as if the rainbow ‘reminds’ Hashem of His promise not to destroy the world yet, Hashem, of course, needs no reminders. Rather, the rainbow is a reminder for people on earth, who see the rainbow to realize that the world deserves to be destroyed right then, if not for Hashem’s covenant never to destroy the world. Therefore, we ought to be inspired to do teshuvah when seeing a rainbow (Rabbeinu Yehudah bar Yakar, Perush HaTefillot Vehabrachot 2). This explains the opinion that if we see a rainbow, we should not tell anyone else about it, because that would be spreading a negative report about the inhabitants of the world, publicizing that they deserve to be destroyed at that moment (Mishna Berurah 229:1; Chayei Adam, Laws of Blessings 63:4; Rav Nevinzal, B’Yitzchak Yikra 229:1). Similarly, there is a halachic opinion that we shouldn’t make the bracha loudly, to prevent our friend from hearing it and searching for the rainbow. However, others hold that since, it is a mitzvah to recite a bracha for the rainbow, we should tell others about it. Although, seeing a rainbow may be a negative sign, alluding that the world is deserving of punishment- were it not for Hashem’s promise, nevertheless, no one can dispute that a rainbow is exceedingly beautiful. In fact, its appearance comes to teach us deep secrets about our relationship with our Creator and about the imminent redemption.

Are Women Obligated to Recite Brachot on Natural Phenomena?

Although women are generally exempt from time-bound positive mitzvot, we are still obligated to pray and recite blessings. The blessings for hearing thunder, experiencing lightening or seeing the ocean or a rainbow etc. are called for at unpredicted moments, to allow us to recognize and connect with the hidden Divine Creator within His natural world. We are commanded by halacha to recite a blessing upon every cosmic event: upon the crimson rays of the setting sun and upon the purple of sunrise, when the sun drips its rays upon the mountains; upon the moon rising in the pale light; upon the stars in their paths and comets which shoot into transparent distances; upon the sight of the rainbow in the clouds and the thunder and lightning within the fog; upon flowering trees and fragrant flowers; upon the thundering of the ocean and its rushing waves; upon bread and water, the fruit of the earth and the field; upon a healthy body created in wisdom, upon its muscles and nerves; upon the ability to move and to stand erect. In short, we bless upon all that man meets, which manifests the faithfulness of creation. The purpose of the brachot is to transform the world at that very moment of reciting the blessing into a supernatural, wondrous world. It is none other than the redemption of nature from its silence, from its orphan-state, by identifying the cosmic dynamic with the original will of the hidden Creator (Rabbi Soloveitchik, Essay on Shir Hashirim, Uvikashtem Misham)

What is the Blessing on Seeing a Rainbow?

After the flood, G‑d promised Noach that He would never again bring a flood that would destroy the world. A rainbow is a reminder of this covenant that G‑d made with Noach, his descendants, and all living creatures:

םפר בראשית פרק ט פסוק טז וְהָיְתָה הַקֶּשֶׁת בֶּעָנָן וּרְאִיתִיהָ לִזְכֹּר בְּרִית עוֹלָם בֵּין אֱלֹהִים וּבֵין כָּל נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה בְּכָל בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאָרֶץ: יז) וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל נֹחַ זֹאת אוֹת הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר הֲקִמֹתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵין כָּל בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאָרֶץ:

“And the rainbow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between G-d and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.’ 17 And G-d said to Noach: ‘This is the token of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth’” (Bereishit 9:16-17).

Therefore, upon seeing a rainbow in the sky, we recite the following blessing:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָשֵׁם אֶלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית וְנֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָם בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ:

Baruch ata Hashem Elo-heinu melech ha’olam zocher ha’brit v’ne’eman bivrito v’kayam b’ma’amaro.

Blessed are You, Hashem our G‑d, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant, and is faithful to His covenant, and keeps His promise.

The blessing should preferably be said while standing. We can make this bracha one time for every rainfall but not again until the rainbow and the rain have cleared up completely and it rains again (Mishna Berurah 229:2). Viewing a phenomenon on video does not justify a blessing. However, a bracha is said when viewing with the aid of a telescope. There is a difference of opinion as to whether we need to see the entire rainbow in order to make the bracha or if it is enough to see only a part of the rainbow. Whenever we are in doubt, we can recite the bracha without G-d’s name, and thus avoid reciting a bracha le’vatala (a blessing said in vain).

Unified Coexistence of Opposites

Ramban explains the connection between the shape of the rainbow and G-d’s promise never to destroy the world with a flood again. The rainbow doesn’t appear with its feet pointing upwards, because that would make it look as if arrows are being shot at us from heaven. Rather, the rainbow points upwards, the way warriors used to turn their bow upside down as a sign of peace. Moreover, the rainbow has no string from which to shoot arrows (Ramban, Bereishit 9:12). Hashem placed the rainbow as a sign of the covenant, because it is made from fire and water, yet they make peace between them. Likewise, it is a sign of peace in the world. Also, the wordקֶּשֶׁת /keshet – “rainbow” is related to the wordקַשׁ /kash – ‘straw.’ As if the sign of the rainbow insinuates that “had this sign not been before Hashem, the entire world would be turned into straw (Rabbi Yitzchak son of Asher Halevi, Riva, Bereishit 9:13). Thus, the rainbow unifies the two opposites of chesed and din. It appears in the cloud on the rainy days symbolizing for us, בְּרֹגֶז רַחֵם תִּזְכֹּר  - “In wrath remember mercy” (Chabakuk 3:2).

The Prohibition of Gazing at the Rainbow

The intrinsic association between the rainbow and Hashem’s glory can also be learned from the connection between the word קֶּשֶׁת /keshet – “rainbow” and the word מוּקָשׁ/mukash – ‘compared.’ קַשְׁתִּי/kasti – “My rainbow” – Something which can be compared to me. However, how is this possible? Only the way straw can be compared to the fruit. “It shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to come upon the earth,” Rabbi Yudan Bar Simon said, this is compared to one who had a boiling club and wanted to throw it at  his son but instead hurled it at his slave. “And the rainbow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between Elokim” – this is the attribute of Divine judgment – “and between every living soul…” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 35:3).

Since it states, קָשְׁתִּי/kasti – “My rainbow” the midrash understands that Hashem says, “The rainbow is compared to me!” However, since Hashem is beyond comparison, the rainbow is only compared to Hashem to the degree that the קַשׁ /kash – ‘straw/outer shell” is compared to the inner kernel it surrounds. This is learned from the similarity between the Hebrew word for ‘rainbow’ and for straw. This also goes together with Yechezkiel’s comparison of the rainbow with the glory of Hashem (not Hashem Himself) as the appearance of brightness round about:

ספר יחזקאל פרק א פסוק כח כְּמַרְאֵה הַקֶּשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בֶעָנָן בְּיוֹם הַגֶּשֶׁם כֵּן מַרְאֵה הַנֹּגַהּ סָבִיב הוּא מַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כְּבוֹד הָשֵׁם וָאֶרְאֶה וָאֶפֹּל עַל פָּנַי וָאֶשְׁמַע קוֹל מְדַבֵּר:

“Like the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness round about; that was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Hashem, and when I saw, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking” (Yechezkiel 1:28).

Since the rainbow embodies the glory of Hashem, it is considered brazenness to stare at the Shechina. Gazing at a rainbow displays disrespect for Hashem. For this reason and because the rainbow is a sign that the generation deserves destruction, we are instructed to refrain from staring at a rainbow. “One should not stare at the rainbow, rather one should look at it briefly and then make the bracha (Shulchan Aruch 229:1; Mishna Berurah 229:5; Aruch HaShulchan 229:2). It is good to be careful about this, as staring at the rainbow may cause one’s eyesight to fail (Babylonian Talmud, Chagiga 16a).

The Mystical Rainbow – A Sign of Mashiach

Before the flood, the clouds were so thick that the sun could not shine through to create a rainbow. The flood, which purified the world also purified the clouds so that the sun could shine through and form a rainbow. Thus, the existence of the rainbow is a direct result of the cleansing of the world. Its appearance is a reminder to G-d to never again destroy the world, because the world is still pure (Malbim, Bereishit 9:14). The rainbow is also a symbol and reminder of the final redemption, that comes in the merit of the cleansing and purifying of the world through our teshuvah. The mystical rainbow embodies the secret of unifying and balancing the opposites of harsh judgments and the withholding of judgments, fire and water, masculine and feminine, the Jew and the secrets of the Torah, human and Divine, the Divine and the animal soul, the natural with the supernatural. It is the balance point upon which opposites can co-exist in all their individual separateness, yet completely unified (The Rebbe of Lubavitch). The rainbow is the channel that connects the lower and upper worlds, while simultaneously channeling the light of the upper world down to earth. It is the interface between ourselves and the inner dimensions of the world, the Torah and our soul. It is a most beautiful multicolored vision, which awakens our desire to gaze at it. Yet we must withhold this desire and look away, as an expression of the gap between the inner and the outer, the upper and the lower. With Hashem’s help, when we arrive in the perfected world, we will be able to gaze at the rainbow in all its multicolored astounding beauty! Therefore, it is not surprising that the Zohar states, “One should not expect the coming of Mashiach until the rainbow is seen in shining colors” (Zohar 1:72b). So, when you see the rays of the rainbow, look for the feet of Mashiach!

Are Women Obligated to Fulfill the Mitzvah “Be Fruitful and Multiply”?

A Hint of Halacha for Women: Parashat Bereishit
Printable Version

The Blessing of Raising Large Families

A new world has just been created, and the first human beings within it. Together with their initial blessing they received the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply! The main principle of life including human life is to prolificate. The world was not created to be desolate (Rashi, Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 62a). As a consolation to the childless and spouseless, being fruitful and multiplying can also be understood as being productive and creative in the world. Yet, the straightforward understanding of fulling the mitzvah is to raise large families. While the minimum fulfilment from the Torah is to bear both a son and a daughter, the Talmudic sages extended the obligation to continued fruitfulness (Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 62 b). Rabbi Natan says in the name of Beit Shammai: The mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply is fulfilled with two sons and two daughters... (Yevamot 62a). In the Yeshiva where I returned to Torah, we were encouraged to have as many children as we could possibly have. Many of my friends had more than ten children. While raising large families comes with much sacrifice and toil especially by the women, most of my friends with numerous children feel very accomplished and blessed, as described in the following verse, “Your wife will be as a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table” (Tehillim 128:3). Often, people would ask my friends how they could afford raising so many children, to which they would answer, “A child is born with bread in his mouth.” Thus, financial concerns should not dictate family planning as Hashem provides for each additional child. This is in contrast to the outlook I was raised with in my upper middleclass Western world. While each of us three sisters had our own room, I doubt that we had a happier childhood than those who were five children to a bedroom in bunkbeds.

Women are Exempt from the Mitzvah of Begetting Children

Hashem addresses both the first man and women when He initially directs them to be fruitful and multiply:

ספר בראשית פרק א פסוק כח  וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁהָ וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבְכָל חַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל הָאָרֶץ:

“G-d blessed them, and G-d said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts that tread upon the earth’” (Bereishit 1:28).

While the plural language indicates that Hashem spoke to both Adam and Chava, women are exempt from the Biblical commandment to procreate (Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha’ezer 1:13).

My initial understanding of the reason for this, is that just as Hashem doesn’t have to command us to breathe, it is unnecessary to command women to have babies. Every healthy woman has a natural motherly instinct encouraging her to want children of her own. Additionally, it seems to me that since pregnancy and childbearing come with pain and hardship, it is unfair to command a woman to endure such discomfort, except if she voluntarily takes it upon herself on her own accord. I found a source for this reasoning in the commentary of Rabbi Meir Simcha. He explains that whereas the mitzvah given to Adam and Chava was incumbent upon both of them, the mitzvah given to Noach was only to him and his sons (Bereishit 9:7). When Hashem reiterated the command to be fruitful to Ya’acov, the mitzvah was written in the singular and definitely addressed only to him as the patriarch of the Jewish people, (Bereishit 35:11). The reason for this change is that Hashem doesn’t command mitzvot that are painful, dangerous and even life threatening. Before the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge, childbirth was a natural, simply normal life-event and therefore man and woman were both commanded.  As a consequence of the sin, pregnancy and childbirth became painful. Therefore, woman could no longer be commanded to bear children (Meschech Chochma, Bereishit 9:7). 

Giving Birth for Mashiach

Whether women are commanded or not to bring forth children into the world, it is evident that women’s participation in the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply is essential and this mitzvah cannot be fulfilled otherwise. The word ‘mitzvah’ refers not only to a commandment but also to actions done in according with the Divine will. On that level it is obvious that even if women aren’t obligated to have children, women certainly fulfill the mitzvah of being fruitful by having children. Moreover, we are also obligated, whenever possible, to assist others to be able to do a mitzvah. Among the twenty-four things that prevent proper teshuvah is stopping one’s friend from doing a mitzvah … for it is a mitzvah to assist our friend in his performance of a mitzvah (Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah Chapter 5). Maharam Schick explains that not only may one not prevent someone else from performing a mitzvah, but there is also a mitzvah, based on the principle of areivut (the mutual responsibility of Jews), to actively help someone else perform a mitzvah which is incumbent upon him. Due to areivut we are commanded to see to it that a fellow Jew will do the mitzvot of the Torah, and if [any fellow Jew] will lack [the opportunity to perform a mitzvah] it is as if I am lacking it (Sha’ar HaTziyun 655:5). Going through the effort of raising a large family demonstrates great care and mutual responsibility as well as emunah (faith) that Hashem indeed will provide. Moreover, it is one of the most essential ways of bringing Mashiach and  hastening redemption as it states: The Mashiach, son of David, will not come until all the souls of the body have been finished, i.e., until all souls that are destined to inhabit physical bodies will do so. As it is stated: “For the spirit that enwraps itself is from Me, and the souls that I have made” (Yesha’yahu 57:16). It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: Anyone who does not engage in the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply is considered as though he sheds blood, as it is stated: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Bereishit 9:6), and it is written immediately afterwards: “And you, be fruitful and multiply” (Bereishit 9:7); (Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 63b). As a woman who struggled with infertility, I can only admire the faithful women who put their entire being into raising large families and thereby bring down so many souls into their physical body. Today, when geulah events are celebrated the world over by women, let’s not forget the most guaranteed way that women can bring about redemption!

What is the First Torah Verse to Teach Ourselves and Our Children?

Parshat V’Zot Habracha
Printable Version

Torah Teachings with Mother’s Milk

When each of our two sons were babies, I would sing to them, “Torah, Torah Torah Torah Torah, Torah tzivah lanu Moshe! U’morasha Kehillat Ya’acov, Umorasha Kehillat Ya’acov, Torah tzivah lanu Moshe.” (“Moshe taught us the Torah, it is an inheritance to the congregation of Ya’acov.”) I wanted these words to be the very first words my children would hear, in order to instill within them a love of our Holy Torah – our spiritual inheritance as Jews. This, according to the advice of my teachers and mentors, was so that this Torah verse would be the very first verse of the Torah for young children to know by heart. I later learned that the words of my song are in fact the first “Torah” that we are supposed to teach our children. As it states, “From when is the father obligated to teach [his children] Torah? As soon as they begin to talk, he must teach them, “Torah tzivah lanu Moshe…” (Rambam, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Talmud Torah 1:6). I wanted to do more than required.  Why wait until the baby begins to speak? – surely our children can listen to words of Torah even beforehand. Moreover, why should only fathers teach the babies Torah, when the mother spends much more time with her children, during their first formative years?  So, I figured, just as Rabbi Yochanan’s mother would send him, in his crib, to sit in the Beit Midrash and be exposed to the Torah learning there, I, too, would follow in her footsteps and expose my children as much as possible to Torah from their youngest age. Whereas, some Torah authorities (Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Gilyon Hashas, Sukkah 2b; Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim 343:1) exempt mothers from the responsibility to teach their children Torah, the Meiri holds that a mother is obligated to train her son, if there is no father. Rashi (Chagiga 2a) and Tosafot (Eruvin 82a) go even further to obligate the mother to teach her children Torah and mitzvot even if there is a father. This latter view seems to me to be substantiated by the wise words of King Solomon:

 שְׁמַע בְּנִי מוּסַר אָבִיךָ וְאַל־תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ: (משלי פרק א פסוק ח)

“Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and do not forsake the Torah of your mother” (Mishlei 1:8).  

Obligated or not, do we not bring blessings when doing more than required?!

Who Needs Commandments or Teachers?

The final portion of the Torah, Parashat V’Zot Habracha contains the very first verse that we teach our children:

דברים פרק לג פסוק ד תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ משֶׁ֑ה מֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַֽעֲקֹֽב:

“The Torah that Moses commanded us is a legacy for the congregation of Ya’acov” (Devarim 33:4).       

Why is this specific verse chosen to be the very first Torah words we teach our children? Perhaps because our Torah verse teaches two fundamental lessons: 1. The concept of obligation צוה/tzivah – ‘commanded’ 2. The vital importance to learn from a teacher, Moshe.

In our time, the word, “commandment” is almost like an F (forbidden) word, which is not politically correct to mention even in passing. People don’t want to be commanded from the ‘outside.’ They would rather choose to keep only the things which they connect with from within. Therefore, in certain liberal Jewish circles the word, ‘mitzvah’ is mistranslated as ‘good deed.’ Yet, human perception is limited, and many great people have been persuaded by charismatic demagogues to participate in heinous crimes, believing they were performing good deeds. Sometimes our own ‘inner voice’ may even tempt us to “…change darkness to light, and light to darkness; change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter!” (Yesha’yahu 5:20). By contrast, Hashem’s commandments, which Moshe, His faithful shepherd, instructed us, are not external commands imposed from the outside. Rather, they are divine laws conceived by none other than the ultimate Creator, Who desires our benefit and knows us inside and out: “For the soul of humanity is Hashem’s candle, which searches out all the innermost parts” (Mishlei 20:27).

This leads us to the second point – the importance to learn from a teacher. Today there is so much information out there, which we can easily collect on our own, without the help of any teacher other than ‘Rabbi Google.’ Yet, in order to ensure that we understand the information in an integrated way, that will truly help us grow, we need a holy teacher to keep us on track. Otherwise, we could easily be tempted to cut and paste as we please and adapt the information – that we glean – to gratify the vile desires of our ego.  

Embracing Our Torah Heritage with Utmost Toil and Devotion

The second half of our Torah verse gives rise to some questions. What exactly does מֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה/morasha mean and why use the term קְהִלַּ֥ת יַֽעֲקֹֽב/kehillat Ya’acov rather than בֵּית יַעֲקֹב /Beit Ya’acov – ‘the house of Ya’acov,’ or זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב/zera Ya’acov – ‘the seed of Ya’acov’? There are divergent opinions regarding מֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה/morasha, which can imply an ‘inheritance’ which a person receives without any effort. According to HaEmek Davar, the unlearned Jews referred to by the phrase “kehillat Ya’acov,” merit their portion in the Torah through the scholars who immerse themselves in Torah study. Since it is difficult to acquire Torah while being preoccupied with earning a living, it is possible to receive it as a “morasha” by merely ensuring that Torah learning is supported and upheld. Yet, Rambam understands “morasha” to mean a gift in which we need to invest in order that we may fully appreciate and take advantage of what we have received. Ramban answers our second question by explaining that kehillat Ya’acov alludes to the many gentiles who join Israel and thereby get an equal share in the heritage of the Torah. The Torah is an eternal inheritance for both Ya’acov (Jews by birth) and those who הַנִּקְהָלִים/hanikhalim – ‘join’ the Children of Israel (Jews by choice). Together they are called קְהִלַּ֥ת יַֽעֲקֹֽב/kehillat Ya’akov (Ramban, Devarim 33:4). Perhaps, the effort and toil invested by those who enter the world ofTorah from the outside is meant to inspire the natural heirs of the Torah who are born within its fold, teaching us that a mere born Jew can become a Jew by choice through embracing our Torah heritage with utmost toil and devotion.

Why do I want to Preserve My Father’s Memoir?

Parshat Ha’azinu

Printable Version

My Father’s Memoir Transports Me Back in Time

In school, I used to hate history. It was so boring to remember past events and years. Ironically, my MA degree is in Jewish history. That’s what was available for me at the time, and I was able to study the history of ideas which was different. I never took an interest in past events, despite having been taught the importance of remembering the past in the Jewish school, especially the Holocaust, for the sake of “Never Again!” Yet, my father’s Memoir is everything but boring. He worked so hard to put the main events of his own life and everything he recalled about his family on paper. He also collected photographs, even four generations back. I’m grateful that my father bequeathed us, his daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren with the rich legacy of our roots. It’s hard for me to explain why this Memoir means so much to me. First of all, since I have lost my father and can no longer ask him to tell me the story of his and his family’s past, all that’s left is my memory of him, videos, photos and his Memoir. When I read it, I feel my father is talking to me, which he is in reality, as well as to the rest of his descendants. My father’s Memoir transports me back to being a little girl, once again sitting on my father’s lap and asking him questions. In his Memoir, he anticipated the questions I would want to ask, and he patiently answered them, one by one. When I face the computer screen, working on translating my father’s Memoir from Danish, so that it can be preserved for posterity, it is as if I have my own personal ‘rendezvous’ with him. Tears often run down my cheeks as I hear my father’s voice through his written words, while I try my utmost to find the closest English equivalent to his rich, articulate idioms and jargon. “O Father, thank you for caring enough about us to leave part of yourself and your legacy behind.”

History is Hashem’s Premeditated Heavenly Artwork

My father’s Memoir imparts in me that I’m not just a random feather blowing in the wind. I’m part of an unbroken chain of hardworking Jews from time bygone. Knowing about my ancestors helps me anchor myself in the place of my yesteryear, grounding myself in the roots of my heritage.

ספר דברים פרק לב פסוק ז זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דֹּר וָדֹר שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ:

“Remember the days of old; reflect upon the years of [other] generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will inform you” (Devarim 32:7).

I’m thankful that my father told me about “the years of the past generations.” Knowing about my past offers me perspective for the future, as Rashi explains: [If] you have not set your attention to the past, then “reflect upon the years of generations,” i.e., to recognize the future, that He has the power to bestow good upon you and to give you as an inheritance the days of the Mashiach and the world-to-come [Sifrei 32:6]; (Rashi, Devarim 32:7). History is not just a random sum of dates and events. Past, present and future are tied together like a string of pearls. Since history is cyclical, our past teaches us about the future. Nothing happens in the world without it being divinely decreed. This imbues history with value. Historical facts thus become situations of humanity in respect to G-d, and as such they acquire a religious value that nothing had previously been able to confer on them. It may, then, be said with truth that the Hebrews were the first to discover the meaning of history as the epiphany of G-d.” (Mircea Eliade, Cosmos and History, New York, Harper & Row, 1959, 104). Judaism is humanity’s first glimpse of history as more than a mere succession of happenings – as nothing less than a drama of redemption in which the fate of a nation reflects its loyalty to a covenant with God (The God Who Acts in History, Lord Jonathan Sacks). Everything that was, is and will be is part of Hashem’s delicately premeditated artwork, culminating in the most heavenly light.

Strengthen Emunah by Learning History the Torah Way

Studying history through the lenses of redemption can be an important aspect of studying Torah. Our Torah verse gives us a clue to the Torah way of studying history: “Remember the days of the world, understand the years of each generation, ask your father and he will tell you; your elders and they will say to you” (Devarim 32:7). The Vilna Gaon explains the three kinds of learning: Remember, understand, and ask, corresponding to: “Hashem didn’t give you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (Ibid. 29:3). Each of these three ways of learning strengthens our emunah. Learning from our personal experience is called ‘seeing.’ We learn from our father and elders, by ‘hearing’ their experience. Finally, we make our own inferences through our ‘understanding from the heart.’ Corresponding to seeing it states, “Remember the days of the world…” …that your eyes saw, the signs and wonders that He did in front of your eyes (Devarim 29:2). “Understand the years of each generation” corresponds to the understanding of your heart. “Ask your father…”  Accept the well-known past that can be sensed through hearing. These three ways of understanding history correspond to the three dimensions of Divine influence: עולם/olam, שנה/shana, and נפש/nefesh, or the dimensions of space, time, and soul. It is the soul level that corresponds to what we receive from our father and elders, as you see in the following chart based on the Vilna Gaon, Aderet Eliyahu, Devarim 32:7.  

Mouth	Heart	Mind
Ears	Heart	Eyes
Da’at	Binah	Chachmah
נפש Soul	שנהTime	עולםSpace
Ask	Understand	Remember	Devarim 32:7
your father, and he will tell you; your elders	the years of [other] generations	the days of old	Devarim 32:7
	Particular/Feminine	General/Masculine
“hear with your ears”	“and pay attention with your heart”	“see with your eyes,”	Yechezkiel 40:4
“…his ears are becoming heavy”	“This people’s heart is becoming fat”	“…his eyes are becoming sealed”	Yesha’ayhu 6:10
“and hear with his ears”	“understand, and he repent and be healed”	“lest he see with his eyes”	Yesha’ayhu 6:10
“and ears to hear.”	“Hashem has not given you a heart to know”	“your very eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders.”	Devarim 29:2-3
“and you shall make them known to your children and to your children’s children”	“and lest these things depart from your heart,”	“lest you forget the things that your eyes saw”	Devarim 4:9

Moshe’s Memoir

Parashat Ha’azinu is about the history of the nation of Israel. Ramban explains that this enthralling song encompass our entire history as “a true and trustworthy witness which tells clearly all that transpires with us” (Ramban, Devarim 32:1). It is interesting to see what has and will happen, and how all our history is affected by our willingness to listen to the words of the Torah. The Song of Ha’azinu alludes to how our choices affect our historical reality for bad and for good. This leads us to the gate of hope, recognizing our immense impact on history. In a way, we are in fact writing our own history. Still, the entire Torah comes to teach us how our history and fate is influenced by Hashem’s individual providence. We see the hand of Hashem through learning about the history of our people: the first human’s disobedience and subsequent expulsion, the depravity of the generation of the flood and its destruction, the selection of Avraham due to his kindness and hospitality, the dynasty of the Jewish people, our suffering and ensuing Exodus culminating in the giving of the Torah by Moshe. Hashem speaks to us directly through him in the Book of Devarim, also called, ‘The Repetition of the Torah.’ In this book, Moshe recounts the events and laws that have already been given over, in his own voice, teaching us how repeating past events of our history gives birth to new sounds, new voices, new notions. Moshe is not only our Rabbi but also our father, who tells us the story of the divine Torah, in order to preserve it for posterity, for all future generations. Perhaps we can say that the entire Book of Devarim is Moshe Rabbeinu’s lifelong Memoir?

Why is Hashem Hiding His Face?

Parshat Vayelech
Printable Version

Where Are You Hashem?

Sometimes it’s so hard to feel Hashem I our lives. Even when we exert ourselves to our outmost in self-improvement, kindness and prayer – praying at the holiest places in the world, the outcome doesn’t always match what we hoped and prayed for. A close friend, going through a hardship told me, “Today was one of the toughest days of my life. I almost didn’t believe in Hashem anymore! I feel so abandoned by Hashem. I don’t know how to continue having emunah in Him.” There are so many things that can make us disbelieve in Hashem. Just thinking of the holocaust and all the cruel massacres. How is it possible that Hashem could allow these vile evils to happen? Sometimes, I want to shout out, “Hashem!!!!! Where are You? Where are You? Where are You hiding?” I felt the furthest away from Hashem in my mid-twenties. I felt so lost. Although, I was happy to have embraced the Torah way, gotten married and given birth to a son, something was missing. I recall being especially miserable when we had to leave Israel for four years for my husband to fulfill his obligation to the USA government and pay off his medical student loans by working in a physician shortage area. Hashem seemed so far away when I was unable to actualize my full potential for serving Him. I had completed my B.Ed. teaching degree from Michalah, and gotten a few teaching jobs, mainly as a substitute for teachers on maternity leave. Yet, the students took advantage, of the young, inexperienced teacher as I was back then, to behave quite unruly. I knew I wasn’t created to stand in front of a group of students who utterly ignored my attempt to get a word of Torah across, while they happily made use of the time to chat and catch up on each other’s lives. I certainly jived with the Talmudic dictum, “The cow wants to nurse more than the calf wants to suckle” (Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 112a). I also didn’t get pregnant again although my son was already in first grade. Bunched up in me was this strong need to give so much without any suitable recipients. In my empty home, I cried and wrote sad poems yearning for Hashem and for meaning in my life.  

Until When?

Here is one of these poems from that period, describing my longing. I also wrote a melody for it and sung these words to Hashem and myself:

Until When?

I know Hashem is ruling the show.

There is a masterplan.

All suffering is in order to grow,

but Hashem until when?

Until when do I keep on hoping?

Until when do I keep on praying?

Until when will my prayers be answered?

Hashem tell me until when!

Within the moment time seems endless,

looking back everything was but a flash.

When will my pain be a sweet caress,

within Your endless universe?

Until when do I keep on hoping?

Until when do I keep on praying?

Until when will my prayers be answered?

Hashem tell me until when!

Does Hashem Ever Turn Away from Us?

The worst thing for a Jew is feeling distanced from Hashem. What are our lives worth without closeness to G-d? All the feelings that Hashem has abandoned us are only to test us, whether we realize despite the seemingly distance that G-d is still right here with us, even when He hides His face. Our test is to stretch and expand our emunah by digging down deeply into the recesses of our faith allowing its estranged sparks to emerge, like a plant finding nourishment for its roots from within the hard rock.

ספר דברים פרק לא פסוק יח וְאָנֹכִי הַסְתֵּר אַסְתִּיר פָּנַי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל כָּל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה כִּי פָנָה אֶל אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים:

“Then I will hide My face on that day, because of all the evil they have committed, because they turned to other deities” (Devarim 31:18).

Our Torah verse gives the reason why Hashem hides His face, “because they turned to other deities.” Yet today most of us who are not idol-worshippers still experience Hashem’s hidden face. Yet, the reason given seems to no longer apply. However, according to Sforno, when we escape our hardships instead of turning directly to G-d in repentance and prayer, this too is a kind of idol-worship, that causes the hiding of Hashem’s face. I’m positive that we all have different exits – from the darkness in our lives – that prevent us from turning to Hashem alone. Furthermore, under distress, we are led astray to erroneously believe that Hashem is no longer among us (verse 17).

“I will hide My face from them…” not like they [the Israelites] thought when they said, that I am not among them (verse 17). In truth, wherever they are, the Shechina will be found, as it states, “Wherever [Israel] was exiled, the Shechina is with them” (Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 29a). However, I will hide my face from saving them, “…because of all the evil they have committed [to themselves].” “For they turned to other deities.” During the hardships they encountered due to their sins, they do not turn to me for help through teshuvah and tefilah. Rather they turn away to escape through other means (S’forno, Devarim 31:18).

Playing Hide and Seek with Hashem

When we fall short of acting in the highest way, we may fall into depression and despair feeling that our wrongdoing has distanced us from Hashem. If we only realized that it is the precisely the mistaken belief that Hashem has abandoned us which causes us to distance ourselves from Him. More than it is the sin that separates us from Hashem, our negative mindset – believing that we are separate from Him due to our sins – is what causes us to actually disconnect from G-d. Our challenge is to remember that Hashem is always with us no matter what. In our Torah verse there is a twofold language of hiding: הַסְתֵּר אַסְתִּיר/haster astir – “Hide I will hide.” This double hiding makes us oblivious to the fact that Hashem is only hidden. The first hiding refers to our general transgression, but the second hiding refers to the sin of despair mistakenly thinking that Hashem has forsaken us due to our wrongs (Netivot Shalom, Parashat Vayelech). It makes it so much harder to find Hashem, when we aren’t even aware that He is only hiding and that we are supposed to seek Him. This is because we don’t realize that Hashem’s hiding in itself is hidden. In truth even within Hashem’s double hiding, surely, He is still there. Nothing can exist without Hashem keeping it alive. Therefore, within EVERYTHING, all actions and thoughts, Hashem’s presence is still there. Even when we, G-d forbid, sin, and act against Hashem’s will, still Hashem is there with us, although He is greatly hidden… (Rebbe Nachman, Likutei Moharan, Mahadura Kama 56). Why does Hashem seem to forget us? Why does He hide His face from us? For one reason. So, that He can reveal Himself afterwards, when we truly search for him. David Hamelech cried, “since the whole point of your hiding is to ultimately reveal yourself – when is it going to happen already?!”

תהילים פרק יג פסוק ב עַד־אָ֣נָה הָשֵׁם תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֣נִי נֶ֑צַח עַד־אָ֓נָה | תַּסְתִּ֖יר אֶת־פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי:

“How long, Hashem? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? (Tehillim 13:2).                      

Whenever we feel distanced from Hashem, let us remember that He is always with us. Rather than escaping into foods, Facebook or shopping, let us cry out to Hashem in the timeless words of Tehillim, with complete confidence that when we keep searching for Him and truly seek His face, we will ultimately find Him!