To Parasha Ha’asinu by the Temple Institute, Jerushalajim

THIS WEEK, PARASHAT HA’AZINU: „GIVE EAR, O HEAVENS!“

This week we read parashat Ha’azinu, (Deuteronomy 32:1-52), the next to last parasha of the Torah. In last week’s reading, Vayelech, HaShem told Moshe, „And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness for the children of Israel.“ (ibid 31:19) The purpose of the song is to serve as an eternal testimony to Israel, warning them of the danger of abandoning HaShem for foreign gods, a spiritual pitfall which Moshe has been warning against all throughout his 37 day address to Israel which makes up the book of Deuteronomy. „And Moses wrote this song on that day, and taught it to the children of Israel.“ (ibid 31:22)

This week’s reading, Ha’azinu, is that song. The song begins by calling heaven and earth to bear witness to what is about to be said. This is followed by praise of HaShem, which is followed by Israel’s inevitable fall into idolatry. The ramifications will be painful, but HaShem will never abandon His people:

„Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter! May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass. For the name of HaShem I proclaim; Give glory to our G-d! The Rock!— His deeds are perfect, Yea, all His ways are just; A faithful G-d, never false, True and upright is He…“ (ibid 32:1-4)

This montage shows the three patriarchs, Avraham and Yitzchak, (at the akeida – the binding of Yitzchak, Genesis 22), and Yaakov, (after awakening from his dream in Beit El, Genesis 28), all envisioning the future Holy Temple.

At Parasha Balak…

Next Shabbat at the latest, we’ll be dealing with the Parashah of Balak.

An entire parashah is named after Balak, Balaam’s antagonist, which is precisely why we should take a closer look at him. The story is very complicated and constantly has new twists and turns. I’ve given a lot of thought to the fact that while there are plans to curse Israel, it’s up to all of us to pay attention with open eyes and ears, with our given senses, to what Hashem tells us, sometimes through a person who doesn’t initially belong to the people of Israel. It’s important to identify Balak as a Moabite king who fears the Jewish people and fantasizes about all sorts of dangers that supposedly emanate from them… Therefore, he commissions Balaam to curse them. However, Balaam refuses, first of all, to allow himself to be taken over by the Moabites and curse them.
G-d speaks to Balaam, so he’s a prophet. He says, „You will not go with them.“ And he obeys. „You will not curse it, for blessed is it.“ And Balaam obeys, albeit only after several attempts, even if this initially brings apparent disadvantages.

The lesson we can draw from the entire Parasha Balak is that no power in the world can oppose Hashem’s plans and must submit to them sooner or later. No one in this world can escape Hashem, His goals, and His vision.

The donkey is also an important metaphor. Balaam travels with her, and it is she who alone can recognize G-d’s messengers and respond accordingly. G-d Himself opened the donkey’s mouth (a popular saying in Israel) and spoke to Balaam. Thus, it is G-d alone who provides the miraculous communication and understanding. It is G-d Himself who enters into dialogue through the donkey, whom Balaam had treated badly. Balaam himself is repeatedly instructed by G-d’s messengers how he should behave. Gradually, he recognizes this more and more clearly, and it culminates in the realization and the statement to the messenger:

„I have sinned; I did not know that you were standing in the way against me.“

This is a very important sentence, for it contains, on the one hand, the admission that he has acted contrary to the divine order and, on the other, that he says he did not know. Knowledge is the prerequisite for acting responsibly before G-d.

Shavua Tov!

Heute ist Shabbat und es wird die Parasha Tzaw öffentlich gelesen…

… ich überlasse die Zuordnung der Verfehlungen derer, die sie betreffen, ganz Hashem. Bin mir voll bewusst, dass diese nicht ohne Konsequenzen bleiben werden. Hashem ist der beste Richter und alles unterliegt seinem Willen. Warum ist dass so? Weil niemand ist wie der G-tt Israels. Dies ist die Lehre die gezogen werden kann. Hashem ist ein barmherziger, gnädiger… aber auch strenger und entzürnender G-tt. Es ist unsere Aufgabe als Juden uns selbst zu verbessern und jeden Tag die Möglichkeit zu ergreifen umzukehren, zum G-tt Israel’s – dem G-tt unserer Vorfahren. Dies ist auch der Grund, warum ich als Jude und Lewi jegliche Form des Götzendienstes ablehne; und glauben Sie mir: Es spielt dabei keine Rolle von welcher „Seite“ diese erfolgt.

Parasha Bo – the Liberation from Mizrajim

I noticed the following in Parasha Bo. Firstly, the ETERNAL teaches us many laws. They are a double expression of importance, because on the one hand they are listed in great numbers in the Parasha; on the other hand, as laws and legal statutes, they underline the obligation for our lives and relationships with one another. Topics in Parasha Bo include the Seder evening and refer directly to Passover, the counting of the Omer, Shavuot and the right of first fruits.

The Parasha itself reports another encounter with Pharaoh after they, Moshe and Aharon, were brought back to his house.

Pharaoh declares harshly:
„Serve HIM, your God!“

He thereby shows that he is reluctant to make this statement and that „your God“ cannot mean the G-d of Israel.

Moshe speaks to Pharaoh as the answerer, although no question was asked…
„We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flock and our herds, – it is HIM who is our feast.“

Yes, Pharaoh is the prototype of the anti-Semite. He says that the LORD will be with the Israelites, i.e. Jews, the moment he lets them go. He presumes to equate himself with the G-d of Israel by equating his decision to release them with the LORD who is there for his people. Interestingly, the Torah says of the events: „So may the Lord be with you, as I have let you go with your children! See that your plan is evil!“

With Pharaoh, we are clearly dealing with a projective identification. The evil is split off from oneself and attached to the Jews. A phenomenon that extends to the present day.

The further plagues come immediately…

It goes on like this, for every sin of Pharaoh, the next plague comes. And in this process of being held accountable for his misdeeds, Pharaoh’s true attitude becomes ever clearer. Until in the end the locusts leave nothing in Mizrajim. Everything is a divine plan, because it says in Bo 10:20: „And the LORD strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he did not let the children of Israel go.“

Then darkness follows over Mizrajim… a full three days. You have to In this context, we should remember that in Egypt the sun was worshipped as the deity Re. But there was light in all the dwellings of the children of Israel.

Again, Pharaoh says that all men can go, but not without the immediate restriction that this does not include sheep and cattle. Moshe answers him that sacrifices and burnt offerings must be offered to the Eternal. Therefore, he tells Him that the livestock must also come along. Pharaoh is beside himself and angry and does not want to let them go. Here, too, the G-d of Israel hardens Pharaoh’s heart and so he says to Moshe: „You have spoken rightly, I will never see your face again.“

This is the last sentence in chapter 10.

Then the ETERNAL explains to Moshe that he wants to bring another plague and that then Pharaoh will let the Israelites go. He says that they will be driven out. It is the death of all the firstborn of Mizrajim.

For details, I ask for intensive Torah study of the text, because it contains many more important statements… with regard to the liberation of Israel from Mizraim.

Parasha Shemot

At the moment I am dealing with the first words of the weekly section Shemot. Not long ago, the sons of Israel were mentioned in the previous week’s section when it was explained that they did not hear Joseph’s lamentation. But now all the sons of Israel who came from the womb of Yaakov are listed. This means that all those listed are listed as sons Yaakov applies and is. This statement makes me extremely happy. Joseph died in the diaspora. Then the Torah reports that the children of Israel were fruitful, swarmed and multiplied. Now comes a very important passage, because afterwards they would become powerful!!! It is this strong external influence that is seen critically, because the Torah further reports that a new king arose in Mizrayim who knew nothing about Joseph. So it was Joseph himself who ensured that the people in power did not have anything evil happened. Now the situation is fundamentally changing – there is a new ruler.

What can we learn from this… The political situation can change and with it the assessment and treatment of the Jewish people. The diaspora is therefore always only a temporary arrangement and only the second best place – after Israel – for a Jew.

(see Shemot 1:1 – 1:7)