Don’t Sell Ourselves Short
We have to be brutally honest, and not try to gloss over our faults and transgressions. Finding mitigating circumstances is commendable when judging others. It is the wrong approach when engaging in self-examination and repentance. We must not say to G-d, “I transgressed, but…” We must take full responsibility for all of our actions. We must also realize that we possess pure, pristine and holy souls that can never be corrupted even by the worst of sins. We are royalty and we therefore can afford to be honest about our shortcomings. Only the president can assume full responsibility for his mistakes and state: “The buck stops here.” SHUVAH SHUVAH SHUVAH
A Song of Praises and Rebukes
This week’s parsha—Ha’azinu—is referred to in the Torah itself as the song Moses taught the Jewish people before his passing and before they were to enter into the Promised Land.
Much of this song is actually a combination of praises and rebukes of the Jewish people. He fact that it was communicated by way of a song and not prose was to soften the rebuke. Moreover, upon deeper reflection, even the criticisms of the Jewish people were veiled hints to their greatness and the love G-d has for them.
One of the criticisms that reflect this idea reads:
“Is this how you repay G-d, you disgraceful, unwise people? Is He not your father, your Master?
He has made you and established you.”
The classic Aramaic translator of the Torah—Onkeles— translates the first part of this verse: “you disgraceful, SHUVAH unwise people” in a rather bizarre fashion: “You are a nation that received the Torah and you are unwise.”
Making the Transition from Disgraceful to Receiving the Torah
Commentators are puzzled at the seemingly far-fetched way Onkeles translates the Hebrew word naval, which means disgraceful, as “a nation that received the Torah.” How does one make the transition from “disgraceful” to receiving the Torah? Is there anything that is disgraceful about receiving the Torah, G-d forbid?
The simple way of clarifying this enigmatic translation is to view it as a statement of bewilderment. You are a disgraceful nation because in spite of the fact that you received the Torah you are unwise. Indeed, there can be no greater disgrace to the Torah when notwithstanding the fact that one has received it and yet does not have the brains or decency to follow it.
There is a humorous self-critical barb that Jewish people have hurled at themselves that reflects the above: “We are such a smart people, if only we had a little seichelintelligence…”
A Jewish person who has Torah knowledge but doesn’t really “get it” is akin to one who is in possession of great SHUVAH wealth but lives as a beggar, or to the person who possesses an antique worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and sells it for a few cents.
This simple way of understanding the translation of Onkeles is consistent with the Chassidic approach:
Today’s Torah Vanity?
The Maggid of Mezritch—the successor of the Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement—explains that the term “naval”, which has been translated here as “disgraceful” is actually related to the statement in the Midrash that “the residue [novlos] of the wisdom above is Torah.”
In other words, the Torah that we received and we perceive is merely a reduced and external level of Torah. Torah’s true essence remains distant, elusive and removed from our comprehension.
Only in the Messianic age, will Moshiach reveal to us the most hidden dimension of Torah. As the Midrash states that the Torah that we study today is regarded as “hevelvanity” compared to the Torah that we will study in the future. And even though that essence of Torah is unfathomable for us now, we must realize that there such a level of Torah exists and is its true essence.
SHUVAH
Thus, anytime we ascribe limited value to Torah and recognize only its residual, external and marginal value, we are actually disgracing it. We are stripping it from its inner core and retaining only its outer shell.
When we view Torah as a beautiful piece of literature— which it certainly is—but not more, we have disgraced the Torah.
When we view Torah as a spiritual guide to life—which it certainly is—but no more than that, we have denigrated the Torah.
When we view the Torah as a G-d given source of knowledge—which it certainly is—but no more, we have essentially devalued the Torah.
Torah is all of the above and much more. All of the qualities that we ascribe to Torah represent merely its outer shell and not its inner essence. The inner essence of Torah is that it is G-d’s wisdom, inseparable from G-d Himself.
We can now understand the meaning of Onkeles’ words, “You are a nation that received the Torah and you are unwise.”
SHUVAH
Don’t Underestimate the Value of Torah
Moses faults the Jewish nation for underestimating the true value of Torah; for reducing the Torah to some humanly conceivable knowledge. How can it be, Moses wonders, G-d gives us the most exquisite gift, and we fail to acknowledge its inestimable value.
One can take this approach a step further. The text states “a disgraceful nation.” Not only do we disgrace the Torah by underestimating its value; we even underestimate and disgrace ourselves.
Chassidic thought teaches us that our G-dly souls are rooted in an even “higher” place than the source of the Torah. Indeed, in this week’s parsha—just a few verses later—the Torah states who we are: “For His nation is a part of G-d.” Our soul is one with G-d and reflects an even more infinite aspect of G-d’s reality than Torah. In addition to the many ways we frequently deny our revealed qualities and virtues, we also are unaware of and therefore minimize or even deny our own hidden and most essential qualities.
The Message
The message of this week’s parsha to us is thus:
SHUVAH
Let’s not sell ourselves short. We must recognize who we truly are and appreciate the true value of the gift G-d has given us.
Brutally Honest with Ourselves
This week’s parsha is read either the Shabbos before Yom Kippur or the Shabbos after. The confluence of these two events points to a thematic association between them.
What is the connection of this verse to Yom Kippur?
When we come before G-d to ask Him for forgiveness we must approach this request with a paradoxical mindset.
On the one hand, we have to be brutally honest, and not try to gloss over our faults and transgressions. While finding mitigating circumstances and giving one the benefit of the doubt is commendable when judging others, it is the wrong approach when engaging in self-examination and repentance. We must not say to G-d, “I transgressed, but…” We must take full responsibility for all of our actions.
On the other hand, we must also know our qualities. We must realize that we possess pure, pristine and holy souls that can never be corrupted even by the worst of sins. We are royalty and we therefore can afford to be honest about our shortcomings. Only the president can assume full SHUVAH responsibility for his mistakes and state: “The buck stops here.”
This then is the Torah’s message for Yom Kippur:
By all means, we must recognize where we went wrong. We must confess our sins. We must acknowledge that we have behaved disgracefully. But, simultaneously, we must realize that the reason we have acted that way is because we have forgotten who we really are; that we possess the purist and holiest of souls. And when we realize who we are and how intimate a relationship we have with G-d, we are on the road to complete return and atonement.
As important as it is to know our own capabilities, we must recognize that as we get closer to the Messianic Age our hidden qualities have come and are continuing to come closer to the surface.
As we stand on the very threshold of the Final Redemption, we should to suppress the heightened feelings we are capable as a result of our proximity to the Messianic Age.
May we all be sealed for a good and sweet year and a year of Redemption!
SHUVAH
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Haazinu by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
