Va’ethchanan & Nachamu: Messages of Comfort

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Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort, always follows Tisha B’Av – a day that embodies Jewish suffering throughout the ages. What message of comfort does this juxtaposition offer the Jewish world and Israel today?

The message of Nachamu – the haftarah from Isaiah 40 – is that even after destruction, God’s comfort is assured. This theme is found in parshat Va’etchanan as well, which opens with Moshe’s heartfelt plea to enter the Land of Israel. Moshe had led and carried the Jewish people from their earliest days, yet because he disobeyed God, he was denied the privilege that even the simplest Jew can experience today – entering the Promised Land. God’s response initially seems harsh: “Look at it well, for you shall not go across this Jordan.” Yet the Sages understand this exchange differently. God compassionately comforts Moshe at the end of his life by allowing him to gaze upon the land, even if he cannot enter it. God also assures him that the future is hopeful: his disciple Joshua will lead the people into Israel.

No matter how difficult Jewish history has been, the Jewish people have always found the strength to read Nachamu after commemorating the tragedies of Tisha B’Av. The haftarah promises comfort to the people of Israel and to Jerusalem. It reminds us, as Moshe understood, that the soul of the Jewish people is bound to this land, and that we suffer and find comfort together.

Following a week in which New York’s thriving Jewish community has felt less secure, and in which the lessons of the churban and the dangers of baseless hatred have felt particularly relevant in Israel, these sources remind us what a blessing it is that Israel exists. Wherever we live, we must keep our gaze fixed on it and do all we can to strengthen and protect it. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson

Parshat Devarim & Tisha B’Av: Response to Historical Trauma

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The book of Devarim is also called mishneh Torah, the “repetition” of the Torah. The retelling of one story in particular – the meraglim (spies) – offers deeper insight into the purpose of this final book of the Torah and serves as a foundation for processing historical traumas in a constructive manner.

The first historical narrative Moshe shares with the second generation in the desert is the story of the spies. As Rav Tamir Granot points out, it is not the Exodus, the revelation at Sinai nor the sin of the golden calf. Why this story? Additionally, there are differences between the way this story is told here and how it is presented in Bamidbar. In Devarim, it is not God who initiates the sending of scouts, but rather the nation. And, it is not the spies, the tribal leaders, who spread criticism of the land, but the people. Rav Granot writes that Moshe chose to retell this story because its lessons were most relevant for this generation. Bamidbar’s version emphasized the failings of the leaders. In Devarim, Moshe emphasizes the people’s responsibility over the faults and failings of their leaders. 

A similar approach was taken by the rabbis in retelling the story of the churban, commemorated on Tisha B’Av. Historical sources and the Talmud contain stories of corrupt priests at the end of the Second Temple period. There is also the tale of enmity between Qamtza and Bar Qamtza and the silence of the rabbis who were with them, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem. Our leaders failed us then and some took responsibility for it. Ultimately, the rabbis teach, it was because of sinat chinam – worthless hatred between the people – that God destroyed the Temple.

Moshe’s imperative to us which resonates so deeply today: We need to hold our leaders accountable and learn from past failings. And yet, blame alone won’t get us very far. The most effective response to historical trauma, both then and now, is a call to responsibility for every member of the Jewish people. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson

Parshat Devarim: Words of Optimism

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Parshat Devarim, literally “words,” teaches that the language we choose to use can influence people’s motivation levels and feelings of optimism. 

Devarim opens with naming several places where the nation traveled in the desert. However, these places were never mentioned in the Torah before. Rashi teaches that this was how Moshe rebuked the generation whose parents sinned in the desert. Moshe alludes to these events indirectly, out of respect for Israel. Instead of using words which were shaming and demotivating, Moshe models how to speak words of criticism in a way which is respectful and can have positive outcomes. 

Our choice of words can also have a positive affect on our mindset and well-being. Rabbi Yehoshua b. Levi, in Talmud Pesachim, advises not to use negative language. He bases this on the fact that the Torah teaches the value of speaking positively by the addition of extra letters in the Noah narrative. Rather than calling the animals “impure,” the Torah states, “those that are not pure.” Similarly, Joseph Telushkin writes in his book “Rebbe,” that the Lubavitcher Rebbe believed that carefully chosen words could positively influence the emotional state of ourselves and others. For instance, the Rebbe refused to call a hospital a “beit cholim” (house of the sick) but rather called it “beit refuah” (house of healing).

A similar idea can be found in the discussion about the blessing “Yotzer Or,” said before Shema, in Talmud Berakhot. The bracha is based on the words of Isaiah 45: “Who forms light and creates darkness, Who makes peace and creates evil.” However, the phrase “creates evil” is replaced with a euphemism, “Who creates all things,” says the gemara, so as to not mention the word evil in tefilla. 

As we mourn the Temple which was destroyed over baseless hatred, parshat Devarim and the “Yotzer Or” blessing are reminders that speaking respectfully and positively spreads ahavat chinam and optimism in our world. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson