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Table of contents
1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour
2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) By Hazzan David Azerad -
Rebuilding is a Process
3) Holy Jokes!
4) For KIDS
This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour
Parashat VaEtchanan- We are Always G-d’s Special Nation
Parashat Vaet’hanan recounts the event of Matan Torah, when G-d revealed Himself to our ancestors and gave Moshe the Torah to bring to us.
The Talmud famously tells of Moshe’s experiences when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. The heavenly angels protested G-d’s decision to give Beneh Yisrael the Torah, arguing that it should not be given to a "Yelud Isha" – people "born from a woman." The Torah, they argued, preceded the world’s creation by thousands of years. And so its rightful place is in the heavens, and not on earth, among human beings.
What exactly was the angels’ claim? And why did they refer to human beings as "Yelud Isha"?
The explanation might be that the angels referred to the Yeser Ha’ra, to the base desires and temptations to which all human beings are subjected, and which make it all but impossible for people to avoid wrongdoing. Human beings are created as a result of lust, the union between a man and a woman. Desire and passion are part of their essence. And so the angels wondered, should the Torah be given to such creatures? The Torah is pure and pristine; should it not remain with the angels in the heaven, who are pure and free of physical desires?
The Talmud continues that G-d turned to Moshe and said, "Aneh Lahem Teshuba," which is commonly understood to mean, "Give them an answer." However, this can also be read as, "Answer them – repentance!"
The response to the angels’ claim is the institution of Teshuba. The verses in Tehillim (90) teach that already "before the mountains were born and earth came into being…You said: Return, O humans!" Meaning, repentance – like the Torah – was created well before the earth’s creation. Even before the world was brought into existence, G-d had written the Torah, the blueprint for life on earth, but He also established repentance – the opportunity we are given to correct our mistakes and return to Hashem. This is the answer given to the angels. Even though we human beings are frail and prone to making mistakes, we deserve the Torah because of the institution of Teshuba, which allows us to keep trying, to keep working to make ourselves better, to always learn from our mistakes and move forward.
The famous verse later in the Book of Debarim says, "Torah Siva Lanu Moshe, Morasha Li’kehilat Yaakob" – "Moshe commanded us the Torah, an everlasting inheritance for the congregation of Yaakob." The Name "Yaakob," which is derived from the word "Akeb" ("heel"), refers to the Jewish Nation when we have sunken to low spiritual levels. This is in contrast to "Yisrael," the name given to Yaakob after he defeated Esav’s angel – the Satan – and thus signifies triumph and success, the times when we reach great spiritual heights. The Torah was given to us as an everlasting possession which remains with us even when we are "Kehilat Yaakob" – even when we fall to the level of "Yaakob." G-d does not give up on us when we fail. Instead, He patiently waits for us to work our way back. We are always His special nation, despite our sins, and is always eagerly anticipating our heartfelt repentance.
Not coincidentally, we always read Parashat Vaet’hanan immediately after Tisha B’Ab, on "Shabbat Nahamu," when we are to experience comfort and consolation after our period of mourning for the destruction of the Bet Ha’mikdash. There is no greater source of comfort and consolation than knowing that the Torah has been given to us as a "Morasha Kehilat Yaakob," eternally and unconditionally; that we are always G-d’s beloved nation, even after we sin and even after He needs to punish us. We can be comforted by knowing that G-d specifically gave the Torah to us, to frail human beings with a Yeser Ha’ra, knowing that we will need to struggle and that we will at times fail, and that together with the Torah we were given the opportunity of Teshuba. Let us take comfort in this realization, and let us take full advantage of this opportunity, never despairing, never giving up, and never thinking for a moment that G-d no longer wants us back – because He always does, under all circumstances.
Halachot this week are selected and Translated by Hazzan David Azerad
Rebuilding is a Process
Parshat Vaetchanan, Shabbat Nachamu--Rabbi Berel Wein
The Shabbat immediately after the sad fast day of 9 Av is called Shabbat Nachamu – the Shabbat of comfort and consolation. This Shabbat draws its name from the first two words of the prophet Yeshayahu, and this series of prophetic readings continues for seven weeks with a message of hope and contentment.
The prophetic readings leading up to the ninth of Av were only three in number, but the message of consolation is more than twice that in number. The prophet notes that the comforting message will be granted in a double manner (Nachamu Nachamu), and we receive seven weeks of comfort to counterbalance the three-week messages of doom and destruction.
We know that there are many varied and valid reasons and motives for Jewish customs and traditions. All of these customs regarding the readings of these specific Haftorot and the reasons for them should not be treated lightly, and one should not dismiss them in a cavalier fashion simply because it may no longer seem to be appropriate to the situation.
Human life and behavior are too complex to attribute to one motive and reason. This is true regarding all details and aspects of Jewish tradition as well. There are ample examples in past and present Jewish society, of how the abandonment of certain customs that modernists felt to be anachronistic eventually led to violations of explicit Torah commandments and values themselves. Judaism should never be observed and viewed in a simplistic, superficial manner. It is too grand for such treatment.
There is a profound and important lesson to be derived from the fact that the prophecies of destruction required only three weeks of public reading while the prophecies of hope and consolation mandated seven weeks on the Jewish calendar. Destruction requires far less time and effort to achieve its sad and nefarious goal. When the end comes, it does so with inevitably and swiftness. Great empires and powerful countries can exist for centuries but are consigned to the dustbin of history in only a few decades or even a few years. It is so much faster and easier to slide down than to attempt to rise and rebuild and struggle forward.
Rebuilding is a process, and it is never accomplished instantaneously and easily. There are many ups and downs that rebuilding will engender, disappointments, frustrations, and even reversals. It will take much more time for the effort to comfort the Jewish people in its continuing effort to rebuild itself anew in its ancient homeland currently. The Jewish world was almost destroyed in a few years in the past century. It will take time to rebuild it. It is a continuing process along a very bumpy road.
We should be comforted in realizing that the process has begun and is underway. There are many weeks and years ahead of us, as we continue our quest to be comforted. But we are already blessed with the knowledge that we have reached the season of comfort and consolation.
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
Selection of funny snippets, loosely related to this weeks parashah or current events, to brighten your day
4) FOR KIDS
Click on the image to open the youtube video
