Parshah Summary – P’shat
Parshat Haazinu (“Listen,” from ozen, “ear”) consists of a song delivered by Moses to the Children of Israel on the last day of his earthly life. Calling heaven and earth as witnesses, Moses warns against the pitfalls of abundance:“Yeshurun grew fat and kicked…he forgot the Divine who created him…” And yet, in the end, God and the Children of Israel will become reconciled. The parshah concludes with God’s instruction to Moses to ascend the summit of Mount Nebo, from which he will behold the Promised Land before dying on the mountain. “For you shall see the land opposite you; but you shall not go there, into the land which I give to the Children of Israel.”
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
יְסֹֽבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ יְבֹ֣ונְנֵ֔הוּ יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישֹׁ֥ון עֵינֹֽו: It surrounded him, imbued him with understanding and preserved him like the pupil of an eye… - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:10
From youth until old age, Rabbi Yitzhak Eisik suffered from an ailment which caused him great physical pain. His physician once asked him how he managed to endure such pain without complaining or groaning.
He replied: “You would understand if you thought of the pain as scrubbing and soaking the soul in a strong cleaning solution. In that case, you would try to simply accept the pain with love and not grumble. With practice, you would gain the ability to be with whatever pain was present. Of course, the pain of the moment is all that matters; pain of the past is no longer present, and who would be foolish enough to concern themselves with pain of the future?” This hasidic teaching on the power Presence is not merely a way of getting through physical pain; it is the essential path for coming to know our deepest being. The “pain,” of course, is not just physical pain; physical pain is a metaphor for the unsatisfactory, which is a fundamental feature of human life; we cannot escape it. And yet, it is through developing the skill of Presence, which means learning to not resist the unsatisfactory, that a deeper joy is attained: ט֥וֹב כַּ֖עַס מִשְּׂח֑וֹק כִּֽי־בְרֹ֥עַ פָּנִ֖ים יִ֥יטַב לֵֽב׃ Sorrow is better than laughter, for through sadness arises the goodness of the face the heart. - Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 7:3 But how is this so? Why should suffering lead to “goodness?” Because acceptance is a function of our essential being, prior to getting bound up in thoughts and feelings of resistance, and we cannot practice acceptance without having something to resist… ט֥וֹב כַּ֖עַס מִשְּׂח֑וֹק – Sorrow is better than laughter… The more we practice this art of being awareness, rather than being the activity of thought and feeling, the more our thoughts and feelings come to reflect that openness; this is meditation. And the more our thoughts and feelings reflect that openness, the more we can recognize the transitory nature of suffering, letting pain come, and also letting it go, whether it be physical pain or the deeper emotional pain. And from this deep allowing, the quality of That which allows, what we might call our Diving nature, can blossom. כִּֽי־בְרֹ֥עַ פָּנִ֖ים יִ֥יטַב לֵֽב׃ – … for through sadness arises the goodness of the face the heart. How do we do this? יְסֹֽבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ It surrounded… “Surround” the fullness of your experience, right now, with consciousness; let your awareness connect with everything that arises in your field of perception, without pushing anything away. יְבֹ֣ונְנֵ֔הו – imbue with understanding… Understand that everything you perceive – from sensory impressions, to emotional feelings, to thoughts – are all arising within the field of consciousness, and literally are consciousness; everything we experience are nothing but different forms of the Same Thing… יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישֹׁ֥ון עֵינֹֽו: –…and preserved him like the pupil of an eye. Just as the pupil of an eye is a simple opening through which light can flow, so too the full spectrum of Reality as you experience it now flows through this open field of awareness, and you are this field. Return yourself repeatedly to knowing that you are consciousness, that you are essentially an open space, beyond and infinitely more vast than all thoughts and feelings; this is the secret of Renewal through which we can Return Again, back to the beginning and root of experience; this is the Path of א Alef.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah begins by instructing a ritual of gratitude to be performed when the Children of Israel cultivate the land: the celebrant should put the first-ripened fruits (bikurim) of their orchard into a basket and bring it to the place where Hashem “chooses” to “make the Holy Name rest.” The celebrant then offers these first fruits, making a declaration of having come out of slavery in Egypt and into the “land flowing with milk and honey.” The celebrant then “rejoices” with one’s family as well as with the “stranger.” The parshah continues with the laws of tithes given to the Levites and the poor, along with detailed instructions on how to proclaim the blessings and curses on Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival, as discussed at the beginning of Parshat Re’eh. The latter part of Ki Tavo consists of a long, harsh account of the curses—illness, famine, poverty and exile—that shall befall them if they abandon the Torah. It concludes with Moses’ words that “only today,” forty years after their birth as a people, have they attained “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹ–וָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃ When you enter the land that Hashem your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it... - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:1-2 Parshat Ki Tavo
Before drawing water for the baking of matzah in preparation for Pesakh, Rabbi Moshe of Kobryn said to those standing around him, “The king teaches his soldiers all manner of military maneuvers. But, when they are in the thick of the fight, they throw all they have learned overboard and simply shoot. In respect to the drawing of water for the baking of matzah, there are many mysteries to be learned, but when it comes to the action itself, all I know is the doing of the moment; the doing is, itself, is the Supreme Mystery.”
All of our common experiences are, at their root, completely ineffable and inexplicable, yet we take their reality for granted because they are so common. Like the flavor of food, for example, or music – can you explain the experience of listening to music? Can we even know what music is? Of course not – music is a mystery. Flavor is a mystery. And yet, if someone says, “mmmmm” we understand they’re enjoying food, because we know the experience. If we see someone dancing to a rhythm, we know they are hearing music. We can’t really explain it, but because we know the experience, we can recognize the outward signs of the experience in someone else. כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה הַחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ יְכַסֶּה־אֶ֔רֶץ וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל לְאֻמִּ֑ים וְעָלַ֙יִךְ֙ יִזְרַ֣ח יְה–וָ֔ה וּכְבוֹד֖וֹ עָלַ֥יִךְ יֵרָאֶֽה׃ For behold! Darkness shall cover the earth, and thick clouds the peoples; but upon you the Divine will shine, And Its Presence be seen upon you. - Isaiah 60:2, Haftora Ki Tavo What does this mean? It sounds like a contradiction – if “darkness covers the earth,” how can the Divine “shine” and Its “Presence” be seen? But that’s the point – you cannot “see” the Divine any more than you can “see” the flavor of food, or “smell” the sound of music. The dimension of the sacred is, nevertheless, not an uncommon experience; we know the outward signs of it, just like we recognize the savoring of food or dancing to music. What are the outward signs? הַמַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ – knowing one’s place… (Pirkei Avot, 6:6) In Pirkei Avot, there is a list of qualities one needs to acquire wisdom, and among them is הַמַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ – knowing one’s place. It may sound like a negative thing, like being passive and not speaking up for yourself. But the word for knowing, מַּכִּיר makir, also means “friend” or “acquaintance” – so the “knowing” is like the knowing of a friend, of someone with whom you are well acquainted. The word for “one’s place” – מְקוֹמוֹ m’komo – is a form of מָקוֹם Makom, which is also a Divine Name! So, to be הַמַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ hamakir et m’komo means to “make friends” with this place that you are actually in, right now, and thereby connect with the Divine Presence that shines beneath the surface of this moment. Even deeper: מְקוֹמוֹ m’komo is possessive: “one’s place” – and the “Place” is God! In other words, this is a becoming acquainted with one’s own Divine Essence; this is meditation. When we witness someone with this depth of Presence, we can recognize it – we can sense an inner light, a friendly aliveness, a peaceful presence. We may not be able to conceptualize it or explain it – הַחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ יְכַסֶּה־אֶ֔רֶץ darkness shall cover the earth – but nevertheless, there is recognition. And, from this quality of making friends with the present moment, there naturally arises the next quality mentioned in the mishna: הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקו –Being happy with one’s portion… It is a fundamental quality of Presence to appreciate what you’ve got. And what have we got? Only This: וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃ When you enter the land that Hashem your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it… The pasuk is talking about the Children of Israel entering the Promised Land, but on a deeper level, it describes entering into This Land. And this is the perpetual potential ever before us: to settle into This moment, to know that This is ours – this is our heritage, Now. But to be truly שָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקו samayakh b’helko – happy with our portion – we must realize what we are on the deepest level: וְעָלַ֙יִךְ֙ יִזְרַ֣ח יְהוָ֔ה וּכְבוֹד֖וֹ עָלַ֥יִךְ יֵרָאֶֽה: And upon you the Divine will shine, And Its Presence be seen upon you… This Presence, this Light, is what we are – it is the awareness that befriends this moment and expresses Itself as Radiance and Peace upon the one who realizes. And yet, even though we are this Light, it is easily concealed; we must make the effort to realize this Light by coming to this moment as a friend, by being הַמַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ hamakir et m’komo even with our own חֹשֶׁךְ hoshekh, with our own darkness, with our own negativity. Because it is through Presence with the darkness – with the fear, with the anger, with the resentments, with the irritability – that we can reclaim the consciousness that has temporarily taken its form and transmute it back into Light. When that happens, it can then be said: ק֥וּמִי א֖וֹרִי כִּ֣י בָ֣א אוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּכְב֥וֹד יְה–וָ֖ה עָלַ֥יִךְ זָרָֽח: Arise, shine, for your light has dawned; The Presence of the Divine has shone upon you! - Isaiah 60:1, Haftora Ki Tavo
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
Parshat Ki Tetzei contains seventy-four of the Torah’s 613 mitzvot. Included among them are the inheritance rights of the firstborn, the law of the rebellious son, burial and dignity of the dead, returning a lost object, sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs, the duty to erect a safety fence around the roof of one’s home, and the various forms of kilayim (forbidden plant and animal hybrids). Also recounted are the laws of having a special place outside the camp for going to the bathroom and covering up one’s waste with earth, the prohibition against turning in an escaped slave, the duty to pay a worker on time and to allow anyone working for you—human or animal— time to eat, the prohibition against charging interest on a loan, the laws of adultery and divorce, and the procedures for yibum (levirate marriage), which is the practice of a man marrying the wife of his deceased childless brother in order to give her children on his brother’s behalf, and halitzah – the ritual of “removing of the shoe” – in the case that the brother-in-law does not wish to marry her. The parshah concludes with the obligation to remember “what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt.”
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עַל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ וּנְתָנ֞וֹ יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ בְּיָדֶ֖ךָ וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ שִׁבְיֽוֹ׃ When you out to battle against your enemies, and Hashem your God puts them in your hand, and you capture their captivity… - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 21:10, Parshat Ki Tetzei
There’s a story of Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sasov, that once he travelled through many villages trying to collect funds so that he could liberate the poor Jews who were incarcerated in the Ukrainian debtor’s prison. Day after day, he went from door to door pleading the case of those poor souls rotting away in the dungeon, but no one would contribute anything. After weeks of failure, feeling dejected and frustrated, he gave up and set out to return home, regretting having wasted all that time he could have spent learning and praying. But just as he approached his house, a woman ran up to him in a panic: “Rabbi, my husband was caught stealing a piece of clothing and was viciously beaten by the police and thrown in jail!”
Without hesitation, the rabbi turned around and went to intercede with the judge. After much effort, he was able to get the prisoner released. When he went to fetch the prisoner from jail, he sternly warned him: “Remember that beating they gave you and don’t you ever do anything like that ever again!” “Why not?” replied the thief, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Upon hearing his words, the rabbi resolved to return to his task of raising money to ransom prisoners, and eventually was highly successful in liberating many. There is a debt to be paid for our spiritual freedom as well. We too must not give up “raising the funds” as we move from one situation to the next, bringing our consciousness fully to each moment, to each situation, to each feeling, to each reaction, to each thought. What is this moment like? What does this situation feel like? Is there an emotional quality right now? What thoughts are arising? Again and again, we might get caught; we might get absorbed and coopted by whatever is arising in our experience, but don’t give up! The real danger is never failure. The real danger is allowing our failures to develop into the belief that inner freedom is impossible. The Torah describes going out into battle: כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה... וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ שִׁבְיֽוֹ׃ – When you go out to battle…and you capture their captivity... It’s a strange construction – capture their captivity – but this is how it is: the phenomena of our experience have a certain gravity; they tend to draw us in, to “capture” us. But if you don’t give up, if you keep at it, you will eventually “capture” their captivating power. After all, you are far more vast than any impulse, than any experience. You are the open space within which this experience, now, unfolds. But isn’t this too difficult? Is it not superhuman to access this Truth? כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עַל־אֹֽיְבֶ֑יךָ – When you go out to battle against your enemies… Life is, in a sense, like a battle ground. If you want spiritual freedom, you have to be one pointed and relentless, like a warrior. And yet: אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ בְּיָדֶ֖ךָ וּנְתָנ֞וֹ יְהֹוָ֧ה – Hashem your Divinity gives them into your hand… In other words, we don’t accomplish our victory by ourselves; the victory is a gift placed in our hands by the Divine; it is not something we win through effort, but through Grace. And this is the paradox – on one hand, you’ve got to have unshakable will and effort, and on the other, relaxed surrender. But in truth, this is not a contradiction, because the unconscious impulse is to struggle, to fight with Reality. If we want to conquer that “enemy” of unconscious struggle, we must surrender to the Truth of this moment, and that requires intention and will. We must remember that more important than whatever it is we’re doing, is this One Thing: אַחַ֤ת שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְה–וָה֮ אֹותָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ... Only One Thing I ask of the Divine, this is what I seek… שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭ה–וָה... – to dwell in the House of the Divine… That is, to dwell in the heart of this moment, surrendering to the Truth of what is, as the freedom and openness of the awareness that we are. כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י – All the days of my life… Meaning: every moment of life, being rooted in our Essential Life – not our thoughts, which come and go; not our feelings, which come and go; not our bodies, which are constantly changing, but in our Awake-ness, the field within which all of these are received and embraced. What happens if we embrace all of this, right now? If we say Yes to the fullness of this moment, right now, who are we then? What are we then? Don’t try to answer with your mind; instead, feel the answer as the Awake-ness that hears these words, day by day, moment by moment.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with the instruction to appoint judges and law enforcement officers in every city. “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” Moses tells them. Crimes must be thoroughly investigated and a minimum of two credible witnesses is required for conviction. Furthermore, the Torah must be alive: in every generation, the law must be interpreted and applied in new ways. Moses then reviews laws governing the appointment and behavior of a king, along with the laws of the “cities of refuge” for the inadvertent murderer. Also set forth are the rules of war: the exemption from battle for one who has just built a home, planted a vineyard, married, or is “afraid and soft-hearted;” the requirement to offer terms of peace before attacking a city; and the prohibition against needlessly destroying something of value, such as the law that forbids cutting down fruit trees when laying siege – “For a human being is a tree of the field.” The parshah concludes with the law of the eglah arufah—the special procedure to be followed when a person is killed by an unknown murderer and the body is found in a field—which underscores the responsibility of the community and its leaders not only for what they do, but also for what they might have prevented from being done…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃ Judges and officers you shall place in all your gates that Hashem your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with fairness... - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:26, Parshat Re’eh
Once there was a rabbi who wanted to build a yeshivah – an institution for Jewish learning. After many years of planning and raising funds, his vision was finally realized – the new Torah school was built in the beautiful country side, on the bank of a river. Many young people came to live and to learn, and the rabbi was gratified to see his goal and passion manifested. On days with good weather, he would often go outside with students to the river’s edge and daven minkhah – pray the afternoon prayer.
One day, while they were all outside praying, he noticed that the building across the river (which seemed to have been abandoned) was being renovated and readied for something. Day after day he watched as workers came refurbished the old building, and he could see that there seemed to be a woman in charge of the enterprise, because she was there every day, busily involved with whatever was going on. Eventually the building seemed to open for business, because he saw men coming and going at all hours of the day and night. He wondered, what could be going on over there? Then he found out – the new business was a brothel, and the women he had seen was the head of the brothel. He was so upset – his Torah school was right across from a brothel! How terrible! He feared that his boys would be tempted into going over there; he was angry that his holy place was being contaminated with such sinfulness; and he was filled with scorn for that woman who was responsible. Nevertheless, he refused to change his practice of bringing the students out to daven by the river. It was Spring, and the weather had just turned pleasant. One time, while they were all praying, he noticed that the woman was also outside by the river. He glared at her, and he saw her looking back at him. He was filled with rage and cursed her in his heart. This became a pattern – every day during those pleasant months, the rabbi and the students would go outside to daven, and every day he would see the women. He would try to ignore her, but he was driven by his anger to look at her, and every time he did, he saw her looking back at him. Soon after, it happened that the rabbi had a heart attack and died. When he came to Olam HaBa, the “World to Come,” he was told that he would not be able to enter right away, but would have to spend some time in Gehinnom (Jewish Hell) to cleanse himself from the spiritual impurities caused by all his anger and cursing of the brothel owner. So, he descended into Gehinnom. After what felt like an eternity of torment he was finally cleansed, and was then allowed to claim his helek la’olam haba, his “Share in the World to Come.” He was ushered into Paradise – a beautiful, peaceful place of lush gardens, in which the Divine Presence was palpably felt – and led to a small, modest dwelling, which was to be his heavenly home. It wasn’t much, but he accepted it with gratitude. As he approached his dwelling, he looked around and noticed that there was an immense palace next door. “Wow” he thought, “That must be the abode of some great tzaddik (saint).” “Actually,” said his angelic escort, “That’s the house of the brothel owner who used to be the object of your curses; she happened to die the same day you did.” “What!” shouted the rabbi, “There must be some mistake! I mean, I realize I wasn’t perfect, I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at her and been so negative, but I was studying Torah all day long, while she was running a brothel!” “Actually,” said the angel, “She studied much more Torah than you did.” “Really? How could that be?” “All those days that you stared at her from across the river, you seethed with anger and thought, ‘What a horrible person she is – building that brothel and seducing others into sin as well!’But when she stared back at you, she was thinking, ‘What a sweet holy soul that is! Look at what a great mitzvah he has done, building that yeshivah and nourishing so many with the holiness of Torah!’ Her holy thoughts of blessing toward you infiltrated the rest of her life, until she was constantly blessing you in her heart. Whereas in your case, your destructive thoughts of anger and cursing infiltrated the rest of your life, so even when you were studying Torah externally, internally you were filled with scorn.” To live an awakened life doesn’t mean to do external practices only. It means: totally accept what comes to you with love, even and especially when it’s not what you want. Don’t judge others; be thankful that you can give your gifts to the world, and don’t worry about what other people are doing. The great sage Hillel taught: אַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ... Do not judge others until you have reached their place… In other words, don’t ever judge others, because we can never “reach the place” of someone else; everyone has their own experience, and we don’t know if we would act differently if we were in their shoes. But if we’re not conscious of our own minds, we can end up doing just the opposite – begrudging what comes to us, and blaming others or blaming the world for our perceived misfortune. Like the story, we might seem to be doing the right thing externally, but in our minds, we are creating the opposite. What is the remedy? שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ... Judges and officers you shall place in all your gates… The Torah is talking about how to govern a society. But on the level of consciousness, this is a teaching about how to use our minds and “guard” the “gates” of thought. The key is, rather than judging others, we need to be “judges” of our own minds. Not in a negative and judgmental way, but in a conscious and intelligent way, discerning which thoughts are useless and will only create a personal hell, and which thoughts are conducive to bringing about heaven on earth. In fact, at the deepest level, “Heaven” is not something we have to create with positive thinking, but is rather the awareness itself that watches the mind, that watches the fullness of whatever arises. We can access this “heaven” right now. May the intelligence of our essence, this consciousness that we are, help us to discern the movement ofour minds, and choose the kinds of thoughts that will be blessings for ourselves and help us be blessings for others, as Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi taught… אֵיזוֹהִי דֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיָּבֹר לוֹ הָאָדָם, כֹּל שֶׁהִיא תִפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹשֶׂיהָ וְתִפְאֶרֶת לוֹ מִן הָאָדָם... What is the proper path that a person should choose for oneself? That which is beautiful and harmonious for oneself, and also causes others to experience that beauty and harmony as well.” - Pirkei Avot 2:1
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
Parshat Re’eh, which means “see,” opens with Moses’ stark teaching to the Children of Israel: blessing and curse are set before you; choose blessing! He then reminds them of the ceremony they must perform when they enter the land, that the litany of blessings promised to them if they follow the Torah should be proclaimed publicly on Mount Gerizim, and the curses for not following the Torah on Mount Ebal. Instructions are then given for establishing a Temple in “the place that Hashem will choose,” and that the Temple should be the only place that offerings are brought. And while it is permitted to slaughter animals anywhere for meat, the blood (which is poured upon the altar when animals are offered in the Temple), may not be eaten.
The people are then warned against false prophets, and the identifying signs for kosher animals and fish, along with the list of non-kosher birds (first given in Leviticus 11), are repeated. Moses then reminds the Israelites that they must tithe a tenth of their produce, and that this tithe must be eaten in Jerusalem, or else exchanged for money with which food is purchased and eaten there. In certain years this tithe is instead given to the poor. (Today the practice is to self-tithe a tenth of our livelihood for the poor.) Firstborn cattle and sheep, however, are to be offered in the Temple, and eaten only by the the kohanim (priests). Moses then reviews the mitzvah of tzedakah, charity, which is the obligation to lift up anyone in the community who becomes needy with a gift or a loan. Furthermore, on the Sabbatical year (occurring seven years), all loans are forgiven, and all indentured servants are set free after six years of service. The parshah concludes with the laws of the three pilgrimage festivals – Pesakh (Passover), Shavuot and Sukkot – when everyone is to make the journey to Jerusalem and bring their offerings.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃ אֶֽת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁמְע֗וּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ יְהֹ–וָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ וְהַקְּלָלָ֗ה אִם־לֹ֤א תִשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ יְהֹ–וָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְסַרְתֶּ֣ם מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לָלֶ֗כֶת אַחֲרֵ֛י אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יְדַעְתֶּֽם׃ See – I place before you today blessing and curse! Blessing, if you listen to the commandments of Hashem your God that I command you today; and curse, if you do not listen the commandments of Hashem your God, but turn away from the path that I command you today and go after other gods, whom you have not known… - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:26, Parshat Re’eh
A story about the Baal Shem Tov: As Yom Kippur drew to a close, the time came say the blessing over the new moon. To say this prayer, it is necessary to actually see the moon in the sky. But, on this particular evening, the sky was overcast and the moon was not to be seen. The Baal Shem Tov had the sense that a great calamity was coming to the Jewish people, but that he could avert the calamity, if only he could say the blessing on the new moon. He concentrated all his powers on parting the clouds so that the moon would shine through, but to no avail. Eventually he lost hope, and went into his room, grief stricken about the evils that were to come. Meanwhile, the other hasidim who knew nothing of what the Baal Shem was going through, began to sing and dance in ecstasy, so happy they were that their master had successfully led them through the Day of Atonement. As their ecstasy grew, the throng made their way into the Baal Shem’s room, and they drew him into the dance. His spirits were lifted as he began to move and sing with his hasidim. Just at that moment, a hasid ran excitedly into the house to report that new lunar crescent has just appeared in the sky, and that the blessing could now be intoned.
One of the great Hasidic insights is that joy is not merely a symptom of the Path, it is the very foundation of it. Without joy, all of our other potentials will be fleeting, or even remain un-actualized altogether. This is why the ninth sefirah of Yesod on the Tree of Life, which means “foundation” and represents joy, is the point of connection between the upper sefirot (spiritual potentials) and Malkhut, the world of time in which our lives unfold. עִבְדוּ אֶת יה–וה בְּשמְחָה בּאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּרְנָנָה: Serve the Divine with joy; come before the Presence with joyous song… Psalm 100:2 But, and this is crucial to understand: this foundational Joy is not a negation of grief or sorrow; it is a way of relating with grief and sorrow. In this sense, (spiritual) joy is not an ordinary emotion; it is a quality of the consciousness that becomes aware of ordinary emotions. It is within our power to access this quality at any moment, even and especially in dark moments. This is the deeper meaning of the story: it is not merely that the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov cheered him up; it is that they brought him into an acceptance of the bitter and the sweet; this is the transformation from an attitude of grasping and resistance to life, into the Dance of Life. And, only when the Baal Shem Tov accepted things as they are, did things change for the better, and the moon revealed itself. רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה See, I set before you today blessing and curse… Blessing and curse are ever the potentials before us. They are set before us הַיּוֹם hayom – “today” – meaning, right now. They are not merely consequences that we’ll have to deal with later; they are inherent within this moment. But how do we choose blessing? אֶֽת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁמְע֗וּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ יְה–וָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ Blessing, if you listen to the commandments (mitzvot) of Hashem, your Divinity, that I command you today… The ordinary understanding is that the mitzvot are the various religious rules to follow. But on a deeper level, “listen” means to be aware of הַיּוֹם hayom – “today” – meaning, be present with this moment as it appears – that is the “commandment.” In this deep listening, in this being present with the reality of the moment, there can be the realization of blessing – that is, the joy inherent within the awareness that accepts both the בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָֽה brakhah uklalah, the blessing and curse, the sweet and the bitter, meaning: things we want and things we don’t want. And through the window of this fundamental blessing of being present, other spiritual qualities can manifest as well, represented by the five sefirot above Yesod: Hesed (lovingkindness), Gevurah (strength), Tiferet (beauty, harmony, peace), Netzakh (commitment, persistence, not giving up), and Hod (humility, gratitude). All of these qualities are dependent on the foundation (Yesod) of joy: וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵי֮ יְה–וָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֒ אַתֶּ֗ם וּבְנֵיכֶם֙ וּבְנֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם... And you shall rejoice before Hashem your Divinity with your sons and your daughters... Deuteronomy 12:11-12 This is the power of meditation: to help us awaken the joy of spacious inner freedom inherent within our deepest being, not just for ourselves, but so that we may lift up one another, and draw one another into the Dance of Life.
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
The third parshah of Sefer Devarim continues with Moses’ closing address to the Children of Israel, promising them that if (Eikev) they will fulfill the mitzvot, they will prosper in the Land – a “good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey…” Moses also rebukes them for their failings in their first generation as a people, recalling their worship of the Golden Calf, the rebellion of Korakh and the sin of the spies. But he also speaks of forgiveness and the Second Tablets, instructing them in the core principles of “circumcising the heart,” and the mitzvah to “love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Moses explains that their forty years in the desert, during which they were sustained with daily “manna” from heaven, was to teach them “that a human being does not live by bread alone, but by all that emanates from God’s mouth does a person live!” Moses describes the land they are about to enter as “flowing with milk and honey,” blessed with the “seven species” – wheat, barley, grapevines, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and dates. He warns them to be aware, lest they become arrogant and begin to believe of themselves that “my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְהָיָ֣ה עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ יְהֹ–וָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ And it will be if you listen to these discernments and guard them and do them, then Hashem your God will guard for you the covenant and the kindness which was sworn to your ancestors… - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 7:12 Parshat Eikev
The infamous and much hated Rabbi, Menahem Mendel of Kotzk, once visited his little home town where he grew up. While he was there he made a point of visiting his first, early childhood teacher who had taught him the alef-bet, whom he loved very much. Before he returned home, he happened to run into another teacher of his. “I see that you visit your preschool teacher, but you don’t visit me? What have I done to offend you?” asked the teacher. “You taught me things that can be refuted,” replied the Kotzker, “because according to one interpretation they can mean this, and according to another they can mean that. But my first teacher taught me things which cannot be refuted, and so they have remained with me; that is why I owe him special reverence.”
The mind tends to dwell upon that which it does not know for sure. That’s because it is the job of the mind to figure out, to conjecture, to approximate, to guess; that’s how we are able to navigate life and make decisions. But this useful tendency often becomes a compulsive habit, usurping awareness away from what we actually do know. The more we ignore that which we know for sure, compulsively investing our guesses, conjectures and approximations with a reality they don’t really possess, the more we live life through the screen of thought; this is called “living in one’s head.” Notice: people often feel most strongly and defend most passionately (and attack most violently in defense of) things they don’t really know for sure. What is it that we do know for sure? Turn your attention from involvement with your thoughts and “see” what is actually happening, right now. This is meditation – intentionally noticing and therefore knowing what is really present now in your experience. At first, there may be a feeling of disorientation or fear. What if thoughts are just thoughts? What will happen if you let go of all that mind generated drama and attend to what is present, to what you actually know for sure? The ego is uncomfortable with this, because “ego” is a sense of identity built from our thoughts and feelings. Begin letting go of your thoughts and feelings, and the ego can feel threatened. הָלַ֣ךְ חֲשֵׁכִ֗ים וְאֵ֥ין נֹ֙גַהּ֙ ל֔וֹ יִבְטַח֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְה–וָ֔ה וְיִשָּׁעֵ֖ן בֵּאלֹהָֽיו Though one walks in darkness and has no glow, let them trust in the Name of the Divine, and rely on their God… - Isaiah 50:10 הָלַ֣ךְ חֲשֵׁכִ֗ים וְאֵ֥ין נֹ֙גַהּ֙ ל֔וֹ – Though one walks in darkness and has no glow… The haftora hints that there is an aspect of our consciousness that is forever in a state of not-knowing: ayn nogah lo – “has no glow.” It doesn’t say that one has no “light” but rather one doesn’t even have any “glow” at all; one “walks” in total darkness. But if we can be clear about not being clear, if we can truly understand and know on the deepest level that all of our mind’s judgments are guesses and approximations, then we can transcend the mind-identified ego; we can transcend our separate self-sense that thrives on belief in our own thoughts and denial of the darkness. This is the Path of ר Reish, the Recognition of Not-Knowing. יִבְטַח֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְה–וָ֔ה וְיִשָּׁעֵ֖ן בֵּאלֹהָֽיו – let them trust in the Name of the Divine, and rely on their God… Then, in that surrender to Not-Knowing, a new way of being emerges: first, trusting in the Divine Name – that is, trusting in how Reality is unfolding – this is the Path of י Yud. And second, relying on God – that is, knowing that God/Reality/Being is ultimately “in charge” – everything we have and everything we are is ultimately “held” by That. This is the Path of ס Samekh – of knowing God as our Eternal Support. Then, we can realize: there is something we can know, if we would only stop and see it: we are This Consciousness, seeing That which is present, Now. Interestingly, if we put these three letters together: ר reish, י yud and ס samekh, we get רִיס rees – “eyelash.” The function of the eyelash is to protect the eye from foreign particles; it is to protect our seeing. Secondarily, lush eyelashes are considered beautiful, hinting: to truly see without the foreign impediments of thought and preconception allows us to behold a beauty that transcends all concepts. וְהָיָ֣ה עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה – And it will be if you listen to these judgments… The word for “if” or “because” is עֵקֶב eikev, which literally means “heel,” as in the English idiom that one thing will “follow on the heels” of another, meaning that one thing is the consequence of another. But according to a hasidic teaching, the hint is that we should become present with our bodies – even in our heels – that is, the most insensitive part of the body should become aware. Then, when we are fully present, with awareness permeating the whole body, we can make these subtle mishpatim, subtle judgments concerning our own thoughts, and we can begin to truly know what we know and what we don’t know, trusting in the Mystery. Then, in connection with the Truth of this moment and in surrender to the unknowability of everything beyond this moment, the heart is set free, and we can rest in knowing the vastness of what we really are: the simple, open space of awareness within which the fullness of this moment now arises.
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
This second parshah of Sefer Devarim continues with Moses’ monologue to the Children of Israel on the banks of the Jordan. He opens with how he prayed to enter the Promised Land along with them, but instead he was told he must climb a mountain and view the Land from afar before he dies. He then continues telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt and their receiving of the Torah at Sinai, followed by the prophesy that future generations will abandon the Path for “false gods,” leading to the exile and their being scattered among the nations. But, from their exile they will once again seek the Divine and return.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִ֖וא לֵאמֹֽר׃ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֗ה אַתָּ֤ה הַֽחִלּ֙וֹתָ֙ לְהַרְא֣וֹת אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶ֨ת־גׇּדְלְךָ֔... “I pleaded with Hashem at that time, saying, ‘My Lord, Hashem, You have begun to show Your servant Your Greatness…’” - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 3:23, 24 Parshat Va’Etkhanan
Once, on a family trip to Italy, I was in a cab with my father in law. At one point he turned to me and said, “So, Brian – are you enjoying yourself or would you rather be at some ashram in India?” I replied, “Well, I don’t really put energy into rather-ing things.” He was silent for a moment, and then said, “I get that. That’s good. I’m going to eliminate ‘rather’ from my vocabulary.”
So, what does it mean to not “rather” something? It doesn’t mean that you can’t make good judgements. It doesn’t mean that you don’t take yourself out of an undesirable situation, or that you don’t help to make things better for yourself or others. It just means that whatever your experience is, whatever situation in which you find yourself, you don’t put mental and emotional energy into wishing things were different. Instead, you first accept the moment as it is; this is meditation. Then, do whatever you do from this attitude of being aligned with the truth of what is happening. In Musar, the Jewish practice of cultivating character traits, this practice of “not-rather-ing,” of being content with what is in the moment, is called הִסתַפְּקוּת histapkut, or Equanimity. But it’s important to understand that this is not merely a character trait; it’s not something that you add on to your personality, but rather it’s a quality of Presence – a quality inherent within the field of awareness beneath and beyond your personality, beneath and beyond your thoughts, beneath and beyond your feelings. And while thoughts and feelings are always flowing and changing, awareness is the background against which thoughts and feelings happen. So, when we shift from the sense that “I am this personality, I am these thoughts and feelings,” into knowing ourselves as the field of Presence within which our thoughts and feelings are happening, then הִסתַפְּקוּת histapkut is very natural, because awareness itself is never preferring one thing over another thing; it is simply open to whatever there is to perceive in the present moment – that’s why it’s called “Presence.” וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִ֖וא – I pleaded with Hashem at that time… In other words, Moses is saying, “I implored that I should be at some other time, at a time other than this moment. I don’t want to be here, I want to get to the Promised Land.” But God says רַב־לָךְ rav lakh – “enough of you already!” רֹ֣אשׁ הַפִּסְגָּ֗ה וְשָׂ֥א עֵינֶ֛יךָ עֲלֵ֣ה – “Ascend to the top of the cliff and raise up your eyes…” The expression for “ascend to the top of the cliff” begins, רֹאשׁ עֲלֵה alei rosh which literally means, “Raise up the head.” Meaning, get out of your head! Don’t be so identified with your own opinions, with your emotional reactions and so on. How do you do that? וְשָׂ֥א עֵינֶיךָ v’sa einekha – “and raise up your eyes”… Meaning, instead of putting energy into thought – that is, judging and “rather-ing,” simply see what is happening in this moment. Be the witnessing Presence within which this moment is unfolding. This is the Path of ע Ayin – Witnessing Presence. When we do that, something else becomes visible… ...אַתָּ֤ה הַֽחִלּ֙וֹתָ֙ לְהַרְא֣וֹת אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶ֨ת־גׇּדְלְךָ֔– ‘You are beginning to make Your servant see Your Greatness…’ We see the gedulah, the Divine Greatness, when we approach this moment as a beginning, as if seeing for the first time as an eved, a servant to Reality/Truth/Being, rather than being a judge or rather-er. From Here, we can participate in the moment unfolding with הִסתַפְּקוּת histapkut, with sweet Equanimity; this is the fruit of meditation.
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
The fifth and final book of the Torah opens with Moses beginning his recap of the Torah to the Children of Israel, who are all assembled on the bank of the Jordan river. He begins by recounting the events and teachings that were given in the course of their forty-year journey from Egypt to Sinai and then to the Promised Land, both rebuking them for their failings and encouraging them to remain faithful to the path he has set before them. In the course of the parshah, Moses recalls the judges and leaders appointed to ease his burden in leadership; the journey from Sinai through the vast desert; the sending of the spies and the people’s fear of entering the Land, leading to that entire generation dying out in the desert. Also recounted are more recent events: the refusal of the nations of Mo’av and Ammon to allow the Israelites to pass through their countries; the wars against the Emorite kings Sikhon and Og, and the settlement of their lands by the tribes of Reuven and Gad and part of the tribe of Manasheh; and Moses’ message to his successor, Joshua, who will take over Moses’ leadership after his death.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
לֹֽא־תַכִּ֨ירוּ פָנִ֜ים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט כַּקָּטֹ֤ן כַּגָּדֹל֙ תִּשְׁמָע֔וּן Don’t show favoritism in judgment; (literally, “don’t recognize faces in judgment”) like the lesser as the greater, you shall listen… Devarim (Deuteronomy) 1:17, Parshat Devarim
Some disciples of Reb Pinhas of Korets once asked him why, when he prayed, was he not wildly ecstatic in his devotions the way many other hasidim were. Reb Pinhas replied, “As you know, the point of prayer is to divest oneself from all separateness, to merge with the Divine, and this is a kind of death. But, our sages tell us that there are two kinds of death: one is as hard a rope being pulled through the ring of a mast, and the other is as easy as removing an eyelash from a glass of milk. It is the second kind of death that I have been granted in my prayer.”
The Reality that we call “Divine” is nothing but the “Being-ness” of things; it is the basic “Is-ness,” Ever-Present. As such, we are never and can never be separate from It. But, most are unconscious of this fact, because the “Isness” of our own being is a quality of consciousness, and consciousness tends to be aware of objects rather than its own subject-hood. This is not to say that we don’t experience our “selves” – just the opposite. As we move through the world, we tend to split reality into two parts – “me” and “everything else.” The problem is that we don’t know who “me” really is; we assume we are our thoughts, our feelings, our stories. We feel we are a spirit trapped in our bodies, looking out. We identify with one small aspect of ourselves – the aspect of thoughts and feelings – and call that “me.” But this ordinary “me” is actually just another object among objects, perceived by and living within the vast field of awareness that we are. This field of awareness, formless and borderless, is the true “I” hidden within plane sight, the vast inner “heavens” within which the “earth” of all particular experiences come and go. ִ שִׁמְע֤וּ שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְהַאֲזִ֣ינִי אֶ֔רֶץ כִּ֥י יְה–וָ֖ה דִּבֵּ֑ר... Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, For the Divine speaks… - Yeshiyahu (Isaiah) 1:2, haftara for Parshat Devarim The “heavens” and the “earth” come together as our bodily temple: At the deepest level, we are the “heavens” – we are the formless awareness that “hears.” But, we are able to “hear” through the medium of the senses; that is why the “earth” gives “ear.” The aim of meditation is to bring heaven down to earth by making our bodies into vehicles for consciousness. How do we do that? לֹֽא־תַכִּ֨ירוּ פָנִ֜ים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט – Don’t recognize faces in judgment… Meaning: don’t judge one “face” over another – every being, every experience, every moment – meaning this moment, is literally a Face of God. כַּקָּטֹ֤ן כַּגָּדֹל֙ תִּשְׁמָע֔וּן – As the small, like the great, listen! Whether we judge this moment as something great and important, or insignificant and unworthy of our attention, תִּשְׁמָעוּן tishma-un – listen anyway! It is through our unconditional Presence with whatever arises that we transcend that conditional “self” and come to recognize the One behind all faces; this is meditation. In this practice of returning frequently to unconditional Presence, we “remove the eyelash from the milk” so to speak, thereby stitching together “heaven” and “earth,” the world of time with the Eternal Present, binding words to the wordless, and connecting our deeds back to the silent field within which they unfold. To do this consistently, moment by moment, requires a simple trust in the way things unfold, a trust that this, now, is where we should be, at least for Now. This quality of Trust is embodied by the letter י yud.
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens with Hashem seeming to reward Aaron’s grandson, Pinhas, for a murderous act of zealotry. In the midst of a plague caused by an idolatrous orgy between the Israelite men and Midianite women, a prince from the tribe of Shimon named Zimri, along with his partner, a Midianite princess named Cozbi, is killed by Pinhas at the end of the last parshah. Ironically, Pinhas reward is that he receives God’s Brit Shalom – “Covenant of Peace.”
In preparation for war with the Midianites, a census is then taken of men eligible for battle between the ages of twenty and sixty, numbering 601,730. Moses is then instructed on how the Land is to be divided by lottery among the tribes and families of Israel. The five daughters of Tzelofhad come forward and petition Moses that they be granted the portion of land belonging to their father, who died without sons; Hashem accepts their claim and incorporates it into the Torah’s laws of inheritance. Next, Moses is told to ascend a hill and view the Land, after which he will die, a consequence of striking the rock to draw forth water. Moses then empowers Joshua to succeed him by placing his hands upon him, which is the origin of s’miha, the ordination of rabbis and other Jewish spiritual leaders today. The parshah then concludes with a detailed list of the daily offerings, along with the additional (Musaf) offerings brought on Shabbat, Rosh Hodesh (first of the month), and the festivals of Pesakh, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Sh’mini Atzeret.
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:צַ֚ו אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֶת־קָרְבָּנִ֨י לַחְמִ֜י לְאִשַּׁ֗י רֵ֚יחַ נִֽיחֹחִ֔י תִּשְׁמְר֕וּ לְהַקְרִ֥יב לִ֖י בְּמֽוֹעֲדֽוֹ Command the children of Israel and say to them, “My offerings, My food for My fires, My satisfying aroma, you shall take care to offer Me in its special time… - Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:2; Parshat Pinhas
There are two different kinds of discomfort: the first is like when you stub your toe. It happens suddenly, and once it happens, you are going to feel pain; there is no choice involved. The pain is most intense right away, and then the discomfort gradually decreases over time. The second is like when someone is talking at you when you want to be doing something else; you can get away any time you choose, but you don’t, probably because you don’t want to be impolite. In this case, the discomfort increases over time.
To be conscious in the presence of either of these forms of discomfort, they require two different responses. The first requires simple acceptance; there is no way to escape the intense pain once you stub your toe. This is also true for other kinds of discomfort, such as chronic pain; we can take steps to alleviate it, but in the moment that it is present, we either accept it or we add the pain of emotional resistance on top of the physical pain. The second requires conscious choice about when to stay in the discomfort (and keep listening to the person talk at you), and when to walk away (gracefully of course, and with a kind word). And yet, we often confuse these two situations. We can trick ourselves into thinking we’re “trapped” by someone talking at us, and not realize that we have a choice. When we finally escape, we might be angry: “How could they keep talking at me like that! How insensitive!” And yet, we could have left any time; we don’t take responsibility for the power that is ours, and instead blame someone outside ourselves for our experience. Or, we lament and complain about some discomfort that we can’t control, when the only true path is to simply accept it; it has already happened, we have no control – so why be in conflict with it? קָרְבָּנִ֨י לַחְמִ֜י לְאִשַּׁ֗י – My offerings, My food for My fires… When we draw our awareness into our discomfort, it becomes “food” for our awareness, because awareness is strengthened by being present with whatever we tend to resist – this is a key aspect of meditation. There is a hint in the word for “My offering” – קָרְבָּנִי korbani, which is a form of the root קרב koof-reish-bet, which means “close,” “intimate,” “interior,” or “on the inside.” The practice is to bring our awareness into intimate connection with the discomfort. The magic is that even though you are being aware of something unpleasant, the attitude of openness ultimately transmutes emotional discomfort into connection with the Divine, with Reality, with our own innermost being, which are all ultimately the same thing. רֵיחַ נִֽיחֹחִי reiakh nihohi – “pleasing aroma…” In the second type of discomfort, which comes from situations which we do have the power to change, there is a “sweetness” when we claim our own power, make a conscious choice, and not blame others. בְּמֽוֹעֲדֽוֹ b’mo-ado – “in its special time…” Our response to these different kinds of discomfort must be done in their proper times – meaning, our response has to be in alignment with the reality of our situation. Is it time to simply accept, or is it time to act? Notice the inner tendency to lean away from your own power, or to lean into resisting what has already happened. The key is being aware of what we’re doing; then we can simply lean in the other direction, and come back into balance. Once, when Reb Yisrael of Rizhyn was sitting casually with his hasidim and smoking his pipe, one of them asked, “Rebbe, please tell, me – how can I truly serve Hashem?” “How should I know?” he replied, “But I'll tell you: once there were two friends who broke the law and were brought before the king. The king was fond of them and wanted to acquit them, but he couldn’t just let them off the hook completely without appearing weak. So, the king had a tight rope extended over a deep pit. He told the friends, ‘If you can get to the other side of the pit on the tightrope, you can go free.’ The first set his foot on the rope and quickly scampered across. The second called to his friend, ‘How did you do it?’ ‘How should I know?’ said the first, ‘But I’ll tell you – when I started to fall toward one side, I just leaned a little to the other side...’”
Read past teachings on Pinhas HERE
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens with king Balak, ruler of Mo’av, sending messengers to request that the sorcerer/prophet Bilam curse the Children of Israel. After several refusals, explaining that he can only do what God allows him to do, Bilam receives Divine permission to meet the king, but that he should only say the words that God puts in his mouth. So, he sets out to meet king Balak. On the road, Bilam’s donkey sees an angel blocking their way and veers off the road, pressing Bilam’s leg against a wall. Bilam beats the donkey with a stick, after which the donkey magically speaks to him. Bilam then sees the impeding angel, who again tells him to go, but that he should only say the words that God tells him to say. When Bilam arrives, Balak takes him to a high place in view of the Israelite camps. Three times, from three different vantage points, Bilam pronounces blessings instead of curses, and also prophesies about the end of the days and the Messianic Era. Later, the Moabites and Midianites try a different tactic – the women seduce the Israelite men and entice them to worship an idol called Baal Peor, which causes a plague to break out against the Children of Israel. When a certain Israelite man publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, Pinhas kills them both, stopping the plague.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
כְּגַנֹּ֖ת עֲלֵ֣י נָהָ֑ר…כַּאֲרָזִ֖ים עֲלֵי־מָֽיִם׃ יִֽזַּל־מַ֙יִם֙ מִדָּ֣לְיָ֔ו וְזַרְע֖וֹ בְּמַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים... Like gardens by a river… like cedars by water, their boughs drip with moisture, their roots have abundant water… –BaMidbar (Numbers) 24:6
Rabbi Akiva would often quote the verse from Prophets:
מִקְוֵ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה – Hashem is the mikveh (Waters of Immersion) of Israel… - Yirm’yahu (Jeremiah) 17:13 Menahem Mendel of Kotzk, “Kotzker Rebbe,” would elaborate: “The mikveh only purifies the soul if one is wholly immersed, so that not a hair is showing. That is how we should be immersed in God.” Water is such a powerful metaphor for consciousness because it is so fundamental – not only is it an essential nutrient that makes up about 70% of our bodies, but it is also the medium through which our bodies are cleansed both inwardly and outwardly. Similarly, just as our bodies are made primarily out of water, on the level of consciousness, we are fundamentally made out of awareness. And just as our physical bodies become polluted and must be regularly purified with the help of water, so too we are affected by every experience – everything that happens to us, every emotion we feel, every thought that arises. We are, in a sense, like sponges, absorbing the energies of all that we experience, constantly. Fortunately, just like a sponge can be cleaned water, so too we can get “clean” from every experience with the help of awareness. Whatever we experience, no matter how intense, traumatic, or disappointing, is ultimately not who we really are; it is like the schmutz in a sponge that can be cleansed from our consciousness if we know how to rinse, squeeze, and rinse again. And, if we don’t immerse frequently in the waters of awareness, then just like a sponge, we can dry out. The dried-out sponge can neither absorb anything new nor can it be distinguished from all the dried-on garbage within it. Similarly, when we become “dried out,” our belief systems are frozen; we can’t see anything new, but rather we perceive everything through the screen of our preconceptions. The inner pollution of negativity becomes indistinguishable from who we are. But no matter how dried out and encrusted we might become, just like the sponge, soak in the water of awareness and the life comes back. If you’re really dried out, it might take some time for the water to penetrate. But once it does, you will know, because all that stuff you thought was you will start rinsing away. מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ – Mah Tovu! How good are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel! - Numbers 24:5 In the story of Jacob, his brother Esau wants to kill him for stealing the blessing of the first born from their father Isaac. Jacob runs away and embarks on a journey of transformation, culminating in his wrestling with an angel who gives him the name Israel. “Jacob” and “Israel,” then, are the “before” and “after” of spiritual transformation. At first you may be practicing – meditating, davening, learning – but you still feel like a dried-out sponge, because the “waters” haven’t penetrated yet. That’s אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב ohalekha Ya’akov – the “tents of Jacob” – because you’re sitting and working in the “tent” of goal-oriented practice. But eventually, the water breaks through and you get soaked. At that point, just like a sponge, you still can get dirty again and again, but you know the dirt isn’t you; you know how to get clean. Then, you can bring that “moisture” of consciousness out of the tent and into your life – that’s מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל mishkanotekha Yisrael – the “dwellings of Israel,” because wherever you go, you can bring with you that Indwelling Presence, that Shekhinah. How do we do that? הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָֽה־יְה–וָ֞ה דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ You have been told, O human, Mah tov, what is good, and what Hashem requires of you! - Haftora for Parshat Balak from Micah 6 The essence of all spiritual teachings about how to live is not unique, and it’s not something we don’t already know intuitively. And yet, we often need to be reminded; that is the purpose of these spiritual teachings, to tell us what we already know, but are prone to forget. כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ Only to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God… On the inner level, עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ asot mishpat – “doing justice” means giving your attention fully to all moments, not “favoring” some experiences over others, just as a judge would hear all testimonies and not take bribes… But it doesn’t end with awareness; וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד ahavat hesed – “love of kindness” means then speaking and acting your from the heart, as an expression of empathy, generosity and benevolence. But, don’t then hold on to an idea of how your words and actions are received: וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ v’hatzneia lekhet im Elohekha – “and to walk humbly with your God” means being aware that you are not in control, being aware of the limits of your own understanding, and living through your faith, trusting in The Mystery – that is meditation. In this way, may the blessing of Bilam be fulfilled, that we immerse and drink frequently from the “waters” of consciousness, and express those life giving “waters” in all our ways.
Read past teachings on Balak HERE
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