On the occasion of two of our members celebrating 60th birthdays we had two excellent dvar Torah shared by Sara Greenfield and Ariel Lippman
Drash for D’varim 1:1 -3:22 on the occasion of entering the decade of the 60s
This parsha is Moses’ take on the Israelites journey through the Wilderness, a backward reflection, gleaning lessons and admonishments from the 42 stops on the journey that will be instructive for the Israelites who will journey on to the Land of Promise. And this is a time for me to glean lessons from my last 6 decades of journeying, and my last 14 years working for an organization that I just left. A time of entering a new, unoccupied land of aging, slowing down, offering new types of service, semi-retirement and hopefully more time to explore unexpressed gifts.
At its core, the parsha speaks to the renewal of the covenant—a relationship with divine—for a new generation, most of whom were not at Sinai and so didn’t directly receive revelation. How to do this? We can do this through making the historical narrative in Torah a personal narrative..making meaning and manifesting a Sacred Presence through discerning and pursuing the Big Will, rather than our small wills.
In studying Torah, I chant and then see what jumps out at me from the text, and then study commentaries. This parsha is Moses’ words, his speech, d’varim. The rest of the Torah is either God’s word or is told by specific writers, depending upon your point of view. The Sfat Emet says that the first 4 books are a transmission from God beyond language, and this is Moses’ commentary on that transmission. So, Moses is the first commentator on Torah, and this parsha is the first of his comments.
Moses protested to God that he was slow of speech and slow of tongue when given his mission at the burning bush, and now at the end of his life, he is speaking for an entire book! His handicap became his final strength. This in itself indicates a transformation of the man, from someone who is insecure and disempowered by his speech impediment, to someone fully in command, secure, and speaking with confidence as an outgoing leader of his tribe. And he speaks with keen insight into the how the Israelites and Moses himself went against the instructions at several stops along the way, thus preventing them from entering the land until now.
I can relate! When I was asked 20 years ago to lead 18 federal agencies to come up with key indicators of child well-being for the nation, I protested that I wasn’t comfortable leading, delegating, or speaking in front of groups. My boss would not take no for an answer. I had to go into a virtual cave, like Luke Skywalker with Yoda, grapple with myself, and develop these skills to do that job, and continue to develop them throughout my career and in training with Shefa. In fact, those were the exact weaknesses that were holding me back, and which haunted me, but which I finally overcame, at the very end of my career. As I leave that realm of work, I recall the successful battles, but also the losses, the times I held back, misjudged, didn’t listen, or chose anger, complaining, and fear instead of keeping the faith and going forward, just like the Israelites.
A related lesson in this Parsha was line: 1:17, You are not to be in fear of any man, for judgement, –it is God’s! (translation from Everett Fox)
Wow! My coach on “the work” of Byron Katie, Sandra Solomon, says that Byron Katie’s only prayer is, “Please God spare me from seeking love or approval from others.” And she is reportedly the happiest woman on earth. My father was a judge, and his judgements were not restricted to the courtroom. Although he was a good and wise and much beloved judge, I’m afraid that I did spend much of my life seeking his, and others, love and approval. Rabbi Shefa in her Torah journeys commentary on Pinchas, places before us the challenge of giving voice to the parts of us that have been denied and ignored, and this is just what I want to do at this point in my life. She envisions a tiger, and asks it the source of its power. It responds: 1) not cherishing anyone else’s opinion of me, 2) attuning to the cycles and rhythms of Nature, and 3) acting when needed without fear or anger. When the Israelites feared the Giants that the spies told them about, they didn’t go into the land that was being offered them, and then they were banished to the wilderness for 40 years; and when Moses acted in anger against the people while hitting the rock to bring forth water, that became the act that prevented his own entry into the Land that he was leading others toward. So we are being told that awareness of self and nature, and right action accompanied by love and trust, are keys to empowering our unexpressed self and receiving Grace on our path.
When looking back on the journey, Moses and I, too, tend to focus on the challenges, the hardships, the mistakes, the loss of faith, at each stop. Social science research confirms that Bad is more Powerful than Good in our lives..and in how we hold onto our experience in our bodies…that it takes at least 5 good things to offset one bad experience in childhood. So Moses reminds us from his high perspective on the top of Mt. Nebo, in this line 2:7; “For YHWH, your God, has blessed you in all the works of your hands…He has known your travels in this great Wilderness! For Forty years is YHWH your God with you, YOU HAVE NOT LACKED A THING!”
I’ve had the opportunity this past two weeks to look back over 14 years of work files in cleaning out my office, and coincidently, over 14 years of emails from my old personal email account, and I have to agree. I had forgotten so many wonderful interactions, and good experiences along the way. I’ve had a wonderful life, like Jimmy Stewart, and I have not lacked a thing, even during challenges. But I have forgotten that God was with me at every stop, in a cloud during the day, in a fire at night; right there.
At all of the places that Moses mentions, there was a lack of holiness. The Sfat Emet says that at each place Moses created openings: understanding, unity, peace. So the invitation of this parsha is to lift up our challenging experiences, battles, times of fear and despair to a higher, soul perspective, and to keep the faith as we enter new beginnings, the Land of our Promise. How did each challenging stop along your way create the openings that only you could have created in yourself, in your families, amongst your friends and coworkers? Pick a challenging stop in your life to focus on, and lift it up to a Soul perspective in this chant.
Shefa says: (read her words from the handout) “Sometimes it feels like I am a human who is in search of the expanse of my soul… yet in my clearer moments I know that I am that expansive soul, enjoying and learning from the experience of being human… etc.
Inspirations from Deuteronomy
Chapter 2 Line 30 and more
Birthday Drash by Sara Greenfield July 25, 2015
“ Sihon,king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him. For God had hardened his spirit. and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him under thy hand .”
This chapter and line speaks specifically to the heart. It speaks of hardening the spirit, and making the heart obstinate. People are morally responsible for their acts, beneficial or destructive. Ones strength can become misaligned and misdirected transforming instead into obstinance, and stubbornness.
We are on a lifetime of journeying. We pause, and reflect, looking back at life’s lessons, with expanded awareness, with an openness to learn from ones past experiences.
There will be an acceptance, of the challenge life offers up. But being enslaved to our past thoughts and patterns, prevents us from entering a land of promise before us.
When we understand that which is shame, loss, hopelessness, disappointment, defeat, we can let it go, and look beyond , or risk being utterly destroyed by those emotions.
Compassion, understanding, and being present in each moment, having courage at each opportunity is a way out of unconscious being .
This is also known by Jewish buddhists as a wholeness of nature. Holiness is what is traditionally known as being true to ones own essential nature. The sh’ma speaks to the listening , and the oneness in all things. We can concentrate on our defeats, and our victories, yet a wider perspective would be to use calm discernment.
Our spiritual practice, is our defense. As people age they can become tough, hardened, unhappy without knowledge of spiritual faith and prayer, our judgements can get the best of us, and we can fall prey to an unhappy future, enslaved to a lost mind, or negative mindset. Depression, oppression and other battles of the mind, tend to want to overpower the mindset with fear, and victim like thinking.
On the other hand, becoming strong in spiritual practice, takes us away from the mindset of battles, and warfare. Warfare is not a necessary future for a peaceful people. However, in the context of real battles, it was a job, that each tribe took on. It appears it was a way of life for many, if not all people….So there was an era of movement, and relocation according to what the elders decided. Who would own what, who would take what, how it was to be paid for etc. However, if we respond to abundance with expressions of generosity, knowing we are worthy, as we defend our turf. The challenge is to admit change has happened, or is happening without judgement. Noticing your victories and your defeats, without judgement is not easy.
Learning, listening wisely, and acting with exact knowledge for the good of all, was an interesting phenomenon that the jewish elders took on. In today’s world depending on where we live, our battles may be taken on by a younger generation.
SO too must the younger generations learn from the educated, older , more experienced community and family members, so mistakes are not repeated ,and spiritual practices may be handed down from generation to generation for a more peaceful and knowledgeable world.. Along with the knowledge comes responsibility.
Taking responsibility for ones own actions and thoughts is a beginning.
Offering up compassion and loving kindness to others is a powerful practice.
Look for practices that speak to you for this purpose.
Bibliograaphy
Torah Journeys by Shefa Gold, pgs 175,176.
The Pentateuch and Haftorahs edited by JH Hertz 2nd edition p 746, and entire chapter.