~ What do these lines mean, in your opinion?
~ Why is Moshe saying this, in the moment described by the Torah?
~ Why is Moshe saying this, for us, today?
YET THE LORD HAS NOT GIVEN YOU A HEART TO KNOW — i.e. to understand the loving-kindnesses of the Omnipresent and to cleave to Him.
עד היום הזה. שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם שֶׁנָּתַן מֹשֶׁה סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה לִבְנֵי לֵוִי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברים ל"א) "וַיִּתְּנָהּ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי", בָּאוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, אַף אָנוּ עָמַדְנוּ בְסִינַי וְקִבַּלְנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְנִתְּנָה לָנוּ, וּמָה אַתָּה מַשְׁלִיט אֶת בְּנֵי שִׁבְטְךָ עָלֶיהָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָנוּ יוֹם מָחָר לֹא לָכֶם נִתְּנָה, לָנוּ נִתְּנָה, וְשָׂמַח מֹשֶׁה עַל הַדָּבָר, וְעַל זֹאת אָמַר לָהֶם "הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם וְגוֹ'", הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הֵבַנְתִּי שֶׁאַתֶּם דְּבֵקִים וַחֲפֵצִים בַּמָּקוֹם:
TO THIS DAY — I have heard that on the day when Moses gave the Book of the Law to the sons of Levi, as it is written, (Deuteronomy 31:9) “And he gave it to the priests the sons of Levi”, all Israel came before Moses and said to him: Teacher Moses, we, too, stood at Sinai and accepted the Torah, and it was given to us; why, then, do you give the people of your tribe control over it, that they may tomorrow say to us, “Not to you was it given, but to us was it given”? Moses rejoiced at this matter and in reference to this he said to them, (Deuteronomy 27:9) “This day have you become the people [of the Lord your God]”, meaning, only this day have I come to understand that you are attached to and have a desire for the Omnipresent.
~ When is "this day", according to Rashi?
~ What can "this day" mean?
(16) The LORD your God commands you this day to observe these laws and rules; observe them faithfully with all your heart and soul. (17) You have affirmed this day that the LORD is your God, that you will walk in His ways, that you will observe His laws and commandments and rules, and that you will obey Him. (18) And the LORD has affirmed this day that you are, as He promised you, His treasured people who shall observe all His commandments.
(א) היום הזה ה' אלהיך מצוך. בְּכָל יוֹם יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ חֲדָשִׁים כְּאִלּוּ בוֹ בַיּוֹם נִצְטַוֵּיתָ עֲלֵיהֶם (תנחומא):
(ב) ושמרת ועשית אותם. בַּת קוֹל מְבָרַכְתּוֹ — הֵבֵאתָ בִכּוּרִים הַיּוֹם, תִּזְכֶּה לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה (שם):
(1) THIS DAY THE LORD YOUR GOD COMMANDS YOU — This suggests: each day they (God’s commandments) should be to you as something new (not antiquated and something of which you have become tired), as though you had received the commands that very day for the first time (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tavo 1).
~ How does this interpretation of "this day" impact the other verse?
The Sages taught with regard to the verse: “Who would give that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be good for them, and with their children forever” (Deuteronomy 5:26). At a later stage, Moses said to the Jewish people: Ingrates, children of ingrates! When the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Jewish people: “Who would give that they had such a heart as this always,” they should have said: You should give us a heart to fear You. The Gemara explains that Moses calls the Jewish people ingrates, because it is written that the Jewish people spoke disparagingly of the manna: “And our soul loathes this light bread” (Numbers 21:5), despite the fact it was the highest-quality food. Moses further called them children of ingrates, as it is written that after sinning and eating from the tree of knowledge, Adam said: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). Adam complained that the woman had been given to him in order to cause him to sin, whereas in fact she had been given to him to serve as a helpmate. Yet even Moses our teacher, did not allude to the Jewish people until after forty years that they should have stated this request, as it is stated: “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness” (Deuteronomy 29:4), which shows that Moses was speaking forty years after the revelation at Sinai. And at that point it is written: “But the Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day” (Deuteronomy 29:3). Rabba said: Conclude from here that a person does not understand the opinion of his teacher until after forty years, as Moses said this to the Jewish people only after forty years of learning Torah.
~ What is the request the Jewish people should have made, but they didn't?
~ Why is Moshe calling them 'ingrates, children of ingrates'? What does that mean?
~ When is this happening?
~ What is the lesson of our verse, according to Rabba?
The Gemara notes: But this angel does not say: Will this person be wicked or righteous? This is in accordance with a statement of Rabbi Ḥanina, as Rabbi Ḥanina said: Everything is in the hand of Heaven, except for fear of Heaven, as it is stated: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you other than to fear the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 10:12).
(א) כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי הָאָדָם יֵשׁ לוֹ זְכֻיּוֹת וַעֲוֹנוֹת. מִי שֶׁזְּכֻיּוֹתָיו יְתֵרוֹת עַל עֲוֹנוֹתָיו צַדִּיק. וּמִי שֶׁעֲוֹנוֹתָיו יְתֵרוֹת עַל זְכֻיּוֹתָיו רָשָׁע. מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה בֵּינוֹנִי. וְכֵן הַמְּדִינָה אִם הָיוּ זְכֻיּוֹת כָּל יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ מְרֻבּוֹת עַל עֲוֹנוֹתֵיהֶן הֲרֵי זוֹ צַדֶּקֶת. וְאִם הָיוּ עֲוֹנוֹתֵיהֶם מְרֻבִּין הֲרֵי זוֹ רְשָׁעָה. וְכֵן כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ:
(1) Each and every human individual has virtues and vices. One whose virtues exceed their vices is a just person, and one whose vices exceed their virtues is an evildoer; if both are evenly balanced, the person is middling. The same happens to a country: if the virtues of all of its inhabitants exceeded their vices, it is, indeed, a just state; but if their vices exceeded, it is, indeed, a wicked place. Even such is a standard for the whole world.
(ד) אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה גְּזֵרַת הַכָּתוּב רֶמֶז יֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּלוֹמַר עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם וְנִרְדָּמִים הָקִיצוּ מִתַּרְדֵּמַתְכֶם וְחַפְּשׂוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וְחִזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה וְזִכְרוּ בּוֹרַאֲכֶם. אֵלּוּ הַשּׁוֹכְחִים אֶת הָאֱמֶת בְּהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְשׁוֹגִים כָּל שְׁנָתָם בְּהֶבֶל וָרִיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוֹעִיל וְלֹא יַצִּיל, הַבִּיטוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם וְיַעֲזֹב כָּל אֶחָד מִכֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבָה. לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ כָּל אָדָם שֶׁיִּרְאֶה עַצְמוֹ כָּל הַשָּׁנָה כֻּלָּהּ כְּאִלּוּ חֶצְיוֹ זַכַּאי וְחֶצְיוֹ חַיָּב. וְכֵן כָּל הָעוֹלָם חֶצְיוֹ זַכַּאי וְחֶצְיוֹ חַיָּב. חָטָא חֵטְא אֶחָד הֲרֵי הִכְרִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְאֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ לְכַף חוֹבָה וְגָרַם לוֹ הַשְׁחָתָה. עָשָׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת הֲרֵי הִכְרִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְאֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת וְגָרַם לוֹ וְלָהֶם תְּשׁוּעָה וְהַצָּלָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי י כה) "וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם" זֶה שֶׁצָּדַק הִכְרִיעַ אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם לִזְכוּת וְהִצִּילוֹ. וּמִפְּנֵי עִנְיָן זֶה נָהֲגוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַרְבּוֹת בִּצְדָקָה וּבְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים וְלַעֲסֹק בְּמִצְוֹת מֵרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים יֶתֶר מִכָּל הַשָּׁנָה. וְנָהֲגוּ כֻּלָּם לָקוּם בַּלַּיְלָה בַּעֲשָׂרָה יָמִים אֵלּוּ וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּבָתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת בְּדִבְרֵי תַּחֲנוּנִים וּבְכִבּוּשִׁין עַד שֶׁיֵּאוֹר הַיּוֹם:
(4) Notwithstanding that the blowing of the shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah is a mitzvah from the Torah, there is a symbolism in it, it is as if it is saying: "You that sleep, bestir yourselves from your sleep, and you slumbering, emerge from your slumber, examine your conduct, turn in repentance, and remember your Creator! They that forget the truth because of the vanities of the times, who err all of their years by pursuing vanity and idleness, which are of neither benefit nor of salvation, care for your souls, improve your ways and your tendencies, let each one of you abandon their evil path and thought which is not pure! It is, therefore, necessary for every person to see oneself throughout the whole year in a light of being evenly balanced between innocence and guilt, and look upon the entire world as if evenly balanced between innocence and guilt; thus, if a person commits one sin, that person will overbalance onself and the whole world to the side of guilt, and be a cause of its destruction; but if a person performs one mitzvah, behold, that person will overbalance oneself and the whole world to the side of merit, and bring about their own salvation and the salvation of the world, as it is said: "But the righteous is the basis of the world" (Prov. 10. 25) - this one, through righteousness, overbalanced the whole world to merit and saved it. And, because of this, it became the custom of the whole house of Israel to excel in tzedakah, in good deeds and in the performance of mitzvot during the intervening days of Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom ha-Kippurim above what they do during the whole year. It also became a universal custom to rise early during those ten days, to deliver in the synagogues prayers of supplication and ardor till the dawn of the day.
~ What is Maimonides idea to help us be good?
~ Why are we asleep? What does the shofar do?
Twenty-four different transgressions prevent teshuvah. Four of these are of great iniquity, and whosoever commits one of them, the Holy Blessed One provides no means for him to repent because of the greatness of that sin. They are: (1) one who leads the public to sin, by which is also included one who prevents the public from doing a mitzvah; (2) one who diverts one's friend from the good path to an evil one, for instance, a seducer and an enticer; (3) one who sees one's child cultivating bad habits and does not protest against it, since the child is under one's control, probably, by having protested, one could have separated the child from them, and so it is as if one led the child to sin. In this iniquity is included every person who has a possibility to protest against others, whether individuals or many, and does not protest against them but leaves them to their stumbling; (4) one who says: "I will sin and repent"; by which is also included one who says: "I will sin and the Day of Atonement will atone".
~ Maimonides begins a list of actions for which teshuvah very difficult. Why do you think he selects these first four as more terrible than the others, and as actions for which teshuvah is not possible?
Among this group of twenty-four are five transgressions which block the way of repentance against the sinners, they are: (1) one who secedes from the community, for that person would be absent at the time they repent and could not acquire nothing as they acquire merit; (2) one who opposes the decisions of the sages, for one's opposition to them brings about one's own separation from them, and one knows not the path leading to repentance; (3) one who disdains the mitzvot, for as they appear debased to him he does not pursue after them nor perform them, and without performance what virtue can he attain? (4) one who insults one's teachers, for such conduct brings about one's displacement and repudiation, even as it happened to Gehazi, and being repudiated he will not find a teacher to guide him to the path of truth; (5) one who despises criticism for that person, indeed, left no path open for repentance, as it is criticism that begets repentance. When a person is informed that their sins are known, and that they should be ashamed of themselves for their wrongdoings, that person repents. For example: it written in the Torah: "Remember, forget not, how you made the Lord your God angry in the wilderness; from the day that you did go forth out of the land of Egypt, until y'all came to this place, y'all have been rebellious against the Lord" (Deut. 9.7), and: "But the Lord has not given you a heart to know" (Ibid. 29.3), and: "A foolish people and unwise" (Ibid. 32.6); and Isaiah, likewise, rebuked Israel and exclaimed: "Ah sinful nation!" (Is. 1.4) and, "The ox knows his owner" (Ibid. –3), and, "Because I knew that you are obstinate" (Ibid. 48.4). Almighty, too, charged him to rebuke the sinners, saying: "Cry aloud, spare not" (Is. 58. 1). In like manner did all of the prophets criticise Israel until they turned in repentance. It is, therefore, necessary to appoint over each and every community in Israel a great scholar of mature age, God-fearing since their early youth, and loved by them, the people, to preach to the public and turn them to repentance. But one who despises criticism does not come to hear the preacher and does not pay attention to their words, that person, therefore, holds on to their own sins, which to their eyes appear to be good.
~ Why are those actions that block teshuvah? Is it possible to remove the block, in these cases?
§ Rabbi Kruspedai said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Three books are opened on Rosh HaShana: One of wholly wicked people, and one of wholly righteous people, and one of middling people. Wholly righteous people are immediately written and sealed for life; wholly wicked people are immediately written and sealed for death; and middling people are left with their judgment suspended from Rosh HaShana until Yom Kippur. If they merit, they are written for life; if they do not so merit, they are written for death. Rabbi Avin said: What is the verse that alludes to this? “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, but not be written with the righteous” (Psalms 69:29). “Let them be blotted out of the book”; this is the book of wholly wicked people, who are blotted out from the world. “Of the living”; this is the book of wholly righteous people. “But not be written with the righteous”; this is the book of middling people, who are written in a separate book, not with the righteous. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: This matter is derived from here: “And if not, blot me, I pray You, out of Your book which you have written” (Exodus 32:32). “Blot me, I pray You”; this is the book of wholly wicked people, who are blotted out from the world. “Out of Your book”; this is the book of wholly righteous people, which is special and attributed to God Himself. “Which You have written”; this is the book of middling people.
~ What are the books that are open? Where do you think you, personally, are written?
It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: The good inclination rules the righteous, as it is stated: “And my heart is dead within me” (Psalms 109:22). The evil inclination rules the wicked, as it is stated: “Transgression speaks to the wicked, there is no fear of God before his eyes” (Psalms 36:2). Middling people are ruled by both the good and evil inclinations, as it is stated: “Because He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from them that rule his soul” (Psalms 109:31). Rabba said: People like us are middling. Abaye, his student and nephew, said to him: If the Master claims that he is merely middling, he does not leave room for any creature to live!
~Who are the middling?
~ Why does Abaye complain to his uncle and teacher that if the uncle is a mere middling the rest of us are in trouble?
בנים אתם לה' אלהיכם (דברים יד, א). פירוש בנים הוא לשון בינוני, פירוש שהוא ממוצע בין הויה לאלהות שבכם, ונקרא עמודא דאמצעיתא (עי' תקו"ז מא.), שהוא מחבר, פירוש על כן יכולים לחבר חלק האלהות שבכם להשי"ת:
"You are children to/of Ad-nai your God" (Deut. 14:1) - meaning, children [banim] from the expression of middling [beinoni]. Meaning, a person balances between existing and the divine within them, and is called the middle pillar (Tikkunei Zohar 41a) that a person connects, meaning, is able to be a connector between the divine aspect that they have and the Holy One of Blessing.
~ How does the Chayim vaChesed understand the question of being middling?
[Chaim Chaykl (Chaika) Levin of Amdur (c. 1730 - March 13, 1787) was a Hasidic rebbe and author who is amongst the earliest founders of Lithuanian Hasidism. He was a leading disciple of Dov Ber of Mezeritch]
~ What is prayer?
~ What is being alive?
~ How does one live every day making sure that one is alive?
הרגשת האמת היא יסוד התשובה. ההכרה, שהעולם כולו וכל הופעותיו הוא רק הזרחה ממעטה לבושו של אור האמת המחלטה האלהית, משרישה בלב אהבת אמת בהירה, וכל הבטאה מנגדת ליסוד האמת, בין שהיא בדבור בין שהיא בתנועה ובמעשה, הרי היא נטולה מן העולם. עבורה מהמציאות ומסולקה מן החיים. והבקורת העצמית, כשהיא חודרת יפה בתוכיותה של הנפש ומבררת יפה את כל הנעשה וההגוי, היא מעמקת את החרטה על כל העדור מאור האמת שבהופעות החיים של האדם, ומרגישה את הנוול, את הכעור ואת האפסיות שלו. ושב האדם אז בתשובה מאהבה אל אור האמת. ותלמיד חכם ג"כ מבעי ליה למימר חד פסוקא דרחמי בעלותו על ערשו, להפקיד רוחו למקור האמת, להחליף כח לעבודת האמת, בתורה דכתיב בה אמת, - כגון:"בידך אפקיד רוחי פדית אותי ד' אל אמת".
Rav Kook - Orot HaTeshuvah, cp. 16
The feeling of truth is the basis of teshuvah. The awareness that the entire world and all its appearances are but an external cover of the clothing of the Absolute Divine Truth, that is in the root of the heart of love for clear truth, and all the expressions stand in opposition to the basis of truth, whether words, movement or actions, behold that awareness is lacking in the world, it is cleared out from life. But self-reflection, when it penetrates well into the depths of the soul and investigates deeply all that was done and all that was thought, deepens the regret about all actions done instrumentally, with the light of truth that exists in every and all deed in a person's life, and [that self-reflection] brings one to feel one's ugliness and unsightliness and futility. And then a person returns with teshuvah from the light of truth. And it is necessary even for a scholar of Torah to say a Verse of Compassion when going to bed, depositing their soul in the source of truth, to switch one's strength towards the service of truth, in Torah about which it is written 'truth', as for instance "I entrust my spirit into Your hand; You will redeem me, Hashem God of truth'. (Psalms 31:6)