Parashat Va'etchanan

This post is at least 8 days late, but since it deals with the Shema which we say every day, I thought it relevant still.

Parashat Va'etchanan has in it the first paragraph of the Shema, which has a very clear structure:  The movement from inner to outer.

How does this work?  Look at the progression:
1. It starts with the principle of God's absolute unity, as well as the fact of our relationship with God:   Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.  God is our God.  God is one.

2. This reality (or internalization of it) leads to internal love of God:  v'ahavta . . .al levavecha.  (you shall love God. . . place these words on your heart.)

3. Love expands from the heart into how we speak-- "v'shinantam levanecha v'dibarta bam. . ."  (you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them)-- love of God manifests itself in holy words, in words of Torah.

4. It moves from speech outward, to action, represented by the mitzvah of tefillin: ukshartam l'ot al yadecha. . . and you shall tie them as a sign upon your hand. . . 

5. Action expands even further to change our environment, as represented by the mezuzah:  u'chtavtam al mezuzot beitecha. . . and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house. . .

I will leave as an open question whether this progression from inner to outer is descriptive or prescriptive.  That is, does it describe what happens, that belief in God's unity will lead to love of God, which will lead to holy speech, etc. ,   or does it prescribe for us what we should do-- we should make sure to focus on God's unity to develop love, and push that love outward from speech, to action, to affect the world around us?

Devarim/Tisha B'Av

1. Tisha B’Av has a Partner!

Tisha B’Av has a partner holiday.

....Pesach.

Chazal teach us that whatever day of the week the first day of Pesach falls on, that is the day that Tisha B’Av will fall on in the same year.  They are linked by the calendar.

And they are linked by theme as well.  Pesach is redemption, Tisha B’Av is exile. 

Yet on Pesach, under all the joy, there is an undercurrent of mourning—the egg, the missing korban Pesach, the absence of which hangs like a cloud.  Pesach Seder in the Galut is like celebrating the birthday party of a dear loved one—who is not with us.

And yet, too, on Tisha B’Av, buried deep within its sadness, is the reason for the holiday: כל המתאבל על ירושלים רואה וזוכה בבנינה.  There is a tradition that Mashiach will be born on Tisha B'Av.  One who mourns for Jerusalem merits to see it rebuilt.  We mourn in order to sharpen our sense of loss, and loss is born of caring, which bears the seeds of hope.   Our very mourning is girded with hope. 

2. Polite hints and verbal cues?

We’ve all been in situations where we are too polite to directly tell someone that they are intruding on our personal space, or on our time, so we try all sorts of gentle verbal hints and body-language cues, but usually-- these subtle hints do not work.

It is surprising, therefore, to see how in Parashat Devarim, which we read the week before Tisha B’Av, our Rabbis explain Moshe’s description of the travels of the Jewish people as a type of subtle hint of rebuke.  Look, for example, at how Rashi explains that each of the places Moshe mentions is a hint to a sin that the Jewish people committed in the desert, and therefore a chastisement.

In light of how ineffective subtle hints are, it is surprising that Moshe chastises the people so indirectly, through hints and innuendo.   It is so ineffective!  Why would he do such a thing?

3. The Parallel in the Partners

Maybe another similarity to Pesach reveals that Moshe was not dropping hints at all, but painting his telling with layers of meaning in order to make the experience real for the new generation about to enter Israel. 

On Pesach, we have an obligation to see ourselves as if we personally left Egypt.  חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים.  When we go beyond intellectual understanding and bring ourselves to re-experience redemption, then when we say thank you, we really mean it.  We feel happy naturally.

Perhaps on Tisha B’Av, we also have an obligation, parallel to Pesach, to see ourselves as if we personally were present at the Churban Beit Hamikdash and the litany of tragedies that followed.

When we go beyond intellectual understanding and bring ourselves to re-experience calamity, we bring ourselves from outward mourning to a sense of loss, and from a sense of loss to caring for our people and for others.  Caring is the exact opposite of שנאת חינם; it fosters unity, and bears the seeds of redemption.  כל המתאבל על ירושלים רואה וזוכה בבנינה