Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
DEVORIM/ SHABBOS CHAZON 5774
“BLINDED
BY DARKNESS”
The king walked into his private chamber
one morning to find his son cutting a colorful paper into small pieces. As the
king continued approaching and took a closer look at the shredded paper he was
mortified. “What are you doing?” he shrieked. The bewildered prince sheepishly
replied, “I found this paper with a mess of colors, dots, and words and figured
it was an old document. Was it something important?” The king angrily replied,
“That paper was a gift from a close friend who is an artist. He presented me
with a map of my entire country, completely labeled and color coded. Whenever I
feel sad or overwhelmed I love to gaze at the map and admire the borders of my
kingdom. But now you have destroyed it. You should have asked me before you cut
it.”
The prince felt terrible. “Father, I will
reconstruct the map and I will tape it back together.” The king smiled meekly,
“That is very kind of you my son; but I’m afraid that will be impossible. There
are simply too many fine details and small pieces. You will never be able to
properly reconnect all the pieces.” With that the king morbidly left the room.
The king was shocked when the prince
approached him a scant twenty minutes later with the entire reconstructed map.
“How could you have possibly put it all back together in such a short amount of
time?” The prince grinned, “Father, you didn’t realize the true uniqueness of
your map.” The prince carefully turned the map over to reveal a portrait of the
artist. “When your friend presented you with the map he drew a picture of
himself on the reverse side. You were right that I would never be able to
reconstruct the map itself. However, when I flipped over the pieces I was
easily able to see what parts of the face belonged where. When I finally
finished putting the portrait back together I merely had to flip over the paper
to see that the map was perfectly in order.”
In his introduction to Chumash Devorim,
Ramban writes:
“The subject of this book (Devorim) is
known that it is a review of the Torah… But before Moshe began the elucidation
of the Torah he began to rebuke them and remind them of their sins – how often
they defied him in the wilderness, and yet how much Hakadosh Boruch Hu dealt
with them with the attribute of mercy. This (concept was presented to them in
order to) call attention to G-d’s kindness towards them, and, in addition, so
they would not be chastened by his words, so that they not return to their
previous state of corruption… Our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, therefore
informed them that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is compassionate and full of mercy, for
forgiveness and pardon are bestowed by Him, may He be blessed...”
Moshe Rabbeinu was now beginning his
soliloquy to the nation. His elongated last will and testament was meant to
invigorate the nation and prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead when
they began their conquest of Canaan without
him. He commenced his discourse with a recounting of the events that occurred
throughout their sojourns during the previous forty years. That recounting was
a subtle reminder to the nation of all of their mishaps and iniquities.
Mesillas Yesharim[1]
explains that the first step along the path to greatness is the characteristic
of zehirus[2].
In order for one to adequately distance himself from sin he must be wary of the
tactics of his evil inclination, as well as his own vulnerabilities. One who
does not pay heed to his own actions in order to contemplate his undertakings
is inferior to an animal which is wary of what is detrimental to it and
distances itself from those things.
“One who walks this world without
considering whether his way of life is good or bad is like a blind man walking
along the seashore, who is in very great danger, and whose chances of being
lost are far greater than those of being saved. For there is no difference
between natural blindness and self-inflicted blindness, i.e. the shutting of
one’s eyes because of his wills and desires- both present the same peril.”
“The prophet Jeremiah lamented about the
evil of the men of his generation, about their being plagued with this affliction
that their eyes were blind to their actions, their failure to analyze them in
order to determine whether they should be engaged in or abandoned. He said
about these men ‘No one regrets his wrongdoing…They all turn away in their
course like a horse rushing headlong into battle’[3].”
The gemara[4]
relates that during the final forty years before the destruction of the second
Bais Hamikdash there were numerous ominous omens that served as harbingers of imminent
devastation and destruction. The historian Josephus wrote that prior to the
destruction of Jerusalem
During the final years of the first Bais
Hamikdash too, the prophet Yermiyah exhorted the nation to repent and alter
their ways so they would not have to be exiled and the Bais Hamikdash could be
spared. But the nation did not hearken to his pleas. They rather believed in
their false sense of security and self-righteousness.
In exile G-d does not reveal His messages
to us through clear revelation. Rather, His face is “painted on the reverse
side of the puzzle”, as it were. If one wishes to seek it he can discern the
hidden Hand of G-d emblazoned all over creation.
Moshe began his final message with words of
rebuke. However, his integral rebuke was not stated emphatically but was
alluded to. One of the ideas Moshe was conveying to the nation is that one must
seek out the message. It is not always presented clearly.
That idea transcends all times. We often
think that if we were privy to open miracles we would be greater believers. But
human nature is not that way. Belief is contingent upon inner heartfelt
connection. One can witness the most miraculous events and yet deny the hand of
G-d.
The tragedies of Tisha B’av are rooted not
only in our original sins, but more profoundly, our rigidity and failure to
recognize our need to change and improve. In order to rectify that wrong we
must contemplate, analyze, and recognize the Divine Hand and its message as it
applies to us in our daily lives.
“These are the words that Moshe spoke to all
of Yisroel, on the other side of the Jordan
My Rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, related that
when his Rebbe, Rav Mendel Kaplan zt’l, walked into his Chicago
Rabbi Wein would constantly impress upon
his students the need to seek out G-d’s Hand in the events that transpire
daily, beyond the explanations of political pundits. Although we may be far
from worthy from interpreting the Divine reason behind all events, we must still
be able to recognize that there is a Divine plan that shapes and directs all
events.
The Shabbos prior to Tisha B’av is titled
‘Shabbos Chazon’ because the haftorah of that Shabbos commences with the words,
“Chazon Yeshayahu- the vision of
Isaiah”. The haftorah contains the poignant and bitter message that Yeshayah
had to convey to Klal Yisroel. In it the prophet related to the nation that His
indignation and contempt for their mitzvah observance which had become mere
external exercises, ‘going through the motions’, without any passion or ardor.
Nesivos Sholom notes that the word “chazon”
connotes an open vision, and revelation. What did G-d reveal to Yeshaya in His
harsh diatribe and chastisement against Klal Yisroel?
Nesivos Sholom explains that the prophecy
of Yeshaya - along with all of the oppression we have endured throughout our
long and bitter exile – demonstrates G-d’s extreme love for His Nation. If G-d
did not love us so dearly he would have allowed us to fade into the oblivion of
faded glory long ago, like so many other nations. The fact that our punishments
and suffering are so severe demonstrates that we are the bearers of a higher
purpose and mission. No one enjoys pain and suffering and no one can comprehend
the reasons why good people suffer and why there is so much pain in our world.
However, it is undeniable that our pain is indicative of the fact that we are unique.
A father maintains a unique relationship
with his child in two ways: In the way he demonstrates his love for his child
and in the way he punishes his child. Both are done out of love and both are
vastly different than the manner in which one rewards or punishes someone
else’s child.
It is for this reason that Tisha B’av is
also deemed a “mo’ed” and enigmatically has some status as a holiday.
During the holidays of the year we recognize G-d through the miracles and
blessings that He bestowed and bestows upon us. On Tisha B’av we recognize G-d
through the harsh punishment and pain that He has wrought upon us.
This is the vision that Yeshaya was privy
to and sought to convey to Klal Yisroel. It is a vision that is only visible to
one who searches beyond the surface and seeks to see “the face on the other
side of the map.”
Tisha B’av is a painful and sad day.
However, it is an integral day on the calendar. In a sense Tisha B’av has
preserved us as a people more than any other time of the year, for it jolts us
out of our nonchalance and reminds us who we are.
The collective tears that we shed on Tisha
B’av are themselves our greatest consolation. Rabbi Akiva expressed that it is because
we have witnessed the fulfillment of all the dire and harsh prophecies, we can
be confident that we will witness the prophecies which promise the bliss of the
eternal redemption when Zion will be consoled
along with all the mourners of Israel
and Jerusalem
“Like a blind man walking along the seashore”
“These
are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Yisroel”
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