Chassidut on the Torah

Chassidut Archives

The week of Parshas Devarim, 5761 Overview In Devarim (Deut.1:1-3:22), Moshe reviews many of the Jews' desert travels, wars and conquests, the appointing of judges, the spies' sin and the nation's subsequent punishment. G-d promises to help Yehoshua conquer Israel as He helped Moshe conquer the lands of the Emorites and Bashan (present day Golan) which were given to the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and part of Menashe. Insights The book of Bamidbar ends with the words "These are the mitzvahs and statutes which G-d commanded through Moshe to the children of Israel in the plains of Moav by the Jordan, by Jericho" (36/13). The book of Dvarim, which we begin this week, opens with the words, "These are the words which Moshe spoke, to all of Israel on the banks of the Jordan" (1/1). These two verses are right next to each other. Why is there such a difference in the two descriptions of the location where Moshe spoke to the Jews? The former is very specific in its address, and the latter 'on the banks of the Jordan' is relatively quite vague. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the difference lies in the unique aspect of the book of Dvarim. The other four books of the Torah tell us about events that occur, as they happened. In Dvarim, events mentioned are actually past occurrences. Moshe chose to mention them in order to teach the Jews to know how to proceed, as they will soon be entering Israel. Therefore, the emphasis in Dvarim is preparation for the future! With this being the case, the exact location of the Jews when Moshe spoke to them is not so relevant. The present defers to the future-their entrance into the Holy Land. This week's Haftorah (which is always read the Shabbos before the 9th of Av) is known as 'Chazon' (meaning vision) and speaks about Yeshayahu's vision of the Temple's destruction. As we have mentioned before, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Bardichev explained according to Chassidus that the vision of this Shabbos - known as 'Shabbos Chazon' - is also because of a special phenomena that every Jew experiences this Shabbos. Each of us has a vision (however subtle) of the third Temple. As an analogy: a son was twice given a new set of luxurious clothes and twice ruined them through his unrestrained antics. All the wiser, the father chose to hold back giving his son the next and last, third set of clothes. Instead, the father decided to wait to give his son the clothes until the boy would learn how to act while wearing them. From time to time, the father would show his son the fancy new garment in order to motivate his son's proper behavior. So too, the Jewish people caused the first two Temples to be destroyed because of our sins. The third Temple is ready in Heaven waiting for our actions to precipitate its revelation in this world. On Shabbos Chazon, G-d shows our souls a vision of the Temple to push us the direction of t'shuva (return to G-d) and good deeds. However, wouldn't it seem more appropriate to show us this vision the Shabbos after the 9th of Av (the day that both Temples were destroyed) - once the mourning is over, to then show us a vision of future comfort to be. Yet G-d grants us this vision specifically at the time of mourning in order to direct us towards the coming redemption. He wants us to rise above the mourning for the present exile and focus on the future salvation. G-d's intention is not exile for the sake of exile. His true intent in exiling us is light which comes at the end: the future redemption. This is what Shabbos Chazon embodies: a vision of the future. And this, too, is what is hinted in the first verse of the book of Dvarim: don't live for the here and now, but rather focus on the goal of the future. What is the action message? How can we focus on our future? Choose a place for your summer vacation that will enrich your Jewish values, not worldly ones. Choose an hour of Torah learning or helping other people instead of an hour of TV. And perhaps most importantly, regarding our children-the future of the world - give your overtime to them instead of to your job. Shabbat Shalom & have a successful fast, Shaul

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