#110: Man As Microcosm

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Parshas Vaeschanan (Rebroadcast)

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This week’s parsha continues Moshe’s monologue to the nation in the weeks preceding his passing. He begins by recounting his repeated efforts in trying to convince God to rescind His decree that Moshe not enter the Land; Moshe then begins the retelling of the Torah; and we read many warnings and predictions about proper behavior and the consequences of abandoning Torah and mitzvos. This is a parsha replete with iconic verses and big themes!

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Devarim – Og, the Places You’ll Go

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A month before his passing, Moshe gathers the nation for a final message. He begins with a two-verse critique of the nation, not excoriating them for their sins, but gently reprimanding them in a veiled and subtle manner. Moshe then pledges to begin to explain the Torah with scintillating clarity. Before he does so though, he offers a broad retrospective of some of the events of the preceding 40 years. He talks about the nation seeking alternative judges, retells the episode of the spies and its aftereffects, and recounts the nation’s encounters with five foreign kingdoms on the east bank of the Jordan: Edom, Moab, Ammon, and the twin nations of Sichon and Og. In this somewhat technical edition of the Parsha podcast, we offer an understanding of Moshe’s larger message. It explains the precise events that Moshe chose to tell in great detail and what he chose to omit.

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Devarim – Citizen of Heaven (5784)

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A year after the Exodus Moshe dispatched a contingency of dignified men to scout the land of Canaan prior to the Nation’s invasion. It was a catastrophic debacle. The scouts returned with a devastating, slanderous report about the Land, prompting the nation to bewail needlessly all night, and condemning the nation to 40 years of wondering in the Wilderness. The day of the return of the scouts was designated for misfortune. On this day, the ninth day of the month of Av, both temples were destroyed. The Midrash tells us that there is a causal link: because the nation cried needlessly on this night, they were condemned to cry for a very good reason on this night. What is the connection between the sin of the spies and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple? In this this Parsha podcast., we explore the verses in our Parsha that hearken back to that calamitous, catastrophic reconnoitering of the land.

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How to Build the Third Temple

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The Temple is a central component of our religion. Ever since it was destroyed by the Romans, our nation has been operating in a suboptimal fashion. Certainly, we have prayers to match the sacrifices of God, and our Torah Academy halls, the four cubits of halacha, is a place where the divine presence rests; we have the Almighty’s precious mitzvos, and we have the opportunity to pray to Him and to repent and return to Him, but something vital is missing. Absent a Temple, the world is blanketed in darkness. Absent the Temple, it is as if there is a thick metal blockade separating us from our Father in heaven. It doesn’t need to be like this. The Temple can be rebuilt, and we can and must play a part. What can we do to build the Third Temple? Our sages laid out a roadmap.

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Parshas Devarim (Rebroadcast)

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5 weeks before his passing, Moses gives a three-parsha-long speech to the nation, which constitutes his last will and testament. He begins with a retrospective of the history of the nation over the past 40 years since the Exodus – subtly rebuking the nation, guiding them, admonishing them, ensuring that they don’t repeat their mistakes of yore.

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Mattos & Masei – Talk is Expensive

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Freedom of speech is enshrined in the First Amendment. Our society allows people to say whatever they want so long as they’re not perjuring themselves or making explicit calls to violence. In our society, words don’t carry weight. A verbal agreement without a signed contract carried no legal muster. The Torah has a very different perspective: your power to communicate verbally is your most essential human characteristic and corrupting your speech is corrupting your essence. Moreover, your speech creates realities of enormous gravity. This is not the only departure from common perception found in our double Parsha. How do we view eating, how do we view a default person, how do we view the spiritual versus the physical realities… Torah is designed to upgrade us to a higher level of living to a higher level of existence. In this Parsha podcast, we learn how that works.

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Mattos & Masei – Order of Sisters (5784)

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The Book of Bamidbar ends on a bit of a surprising note. The final chapter of our book revisits the somewhat technical narrative relating to the inheritance of the ancestral lands of a man named Tzelafchad. This man from the tribe of Menashe died without sons, and in chapter 27 of the book of numbers we learned that his lands will be apportioned to his daughters in lieu of male heirs. One may have thought that the saga of Tzelafchad was all settled. But no. The final chapter of the book revisits this story and offers an epilogue to it. Why is this the most fitting culmination of the book? In this very special Parsha podcast, we offer a novel solution. We learn how these five sisters were each remarkable in her own way, a lesson that serves as a fitting and powerful crescendo to the Book of Bamidbar.

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Parshas Mattos & Masei (Rebroadcast)

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This year, the Book of Numbers ends with a double parsha – Mattos and Masei. We learn about the laws of vows and oaths; the miraculous war with Midian; the unusual request of the tribes of Gad and Reuben; the Torah delineates the 42 different places that the Nation encamped for their 40 year sojourn; and we gain closure to the saga of the daughters of Tzelaphchad.

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Pinchas – Dual Tracks

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Certain legends are irreplaceable. There was never a man like Moshe who spoke to God face to face. Aaron, the first high priest, set an incredibly high bar for all high priests who followed. In this week’s Parsha, successors are designated for both Moshe and Aaron. Aaron’s grandson Pinchas was elevated to the priesthood which would eventually become the high priest. Moshe’s trusty attendant Joshua was selected to replace Moshe. Why were these two people selected for these prestigious roles? When we examine the ascension of Joshua and Pinchas, we find two very different paths. For aspirants of high offices it is important to learn the different pathways to greatness. But even if we don’t have designs on a great office, it is incumbent upon us achieve personal greatness. In that important domain too these two pathways can lead us to the promised land.

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Pinchas – Eggs Not Cheese (5784)

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Pinchas, Aaron’s grandson, did a valorous and zealous act of bravery when he skewered the prince of the tribe of Shimon and stopped the plague from wiping out the entire nation. What motivated Pinchas’ behavior? What attributes were at play during his act of zealotry? This question is answered in a comment in Rashi in our Parsha. We learn how qualities and attributes that are present in antecedents are manifested in their descendants. Character is heritable. That same theme is featured elsewhere in our Parsha, when the daughter is of Tzalafchad seek a portion in the land of Israel, in a manner similar to that of their antecedent Joseph. When we zoom out, we discover that the heritability of character, both good and bad, is featured in many many places in the literature. The lessons and the takeaways are profound.

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The King’s Way

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The sorcerer/prophet of the nations, Balaam, sought to curse the Israelites, but his attempts were thwarted. The Talmud reveals some very interesting elements of his botched effort. Had he succeeded in cursing the nation, there would have been nothing left. He would have achieved total devastation. In this very interesting and informative podcast, we study the methodology of Balaam’s deadly curse and how God transformed Balaam’s curse into the king’s way. This might be the most important and edifying podcasts of them all.

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