myDvar.com

Parshat Mattos-Masei In the book of Bamidbar the Jews finish yet another obstacle in their path. The days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are in their stories. The Exodus from slavery left the Jews in happiness and ecstasy and a place for G-ds Divine spirit in the world was created. In this sefer(book) The Jews went through hardships almost consistently throughout this book. Whether it begins with the sin of the Sotah, Miriam and Aaron against Moshe, the false perception of the spies, Pinchas, Bilaam or the many wars fought through this time period, The Jewish people again have miraculously managed to set obstacles in their way. Even in the midst of tumult and anguish the Jewish people could hear the reminder and blessing that G-d gave to their forefathers “I am Kel Shakkia, be fruitful and multiply, a nation and a congregation of nations shall descend from you, and kinds shall issue from you loins. The land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give to you: and to your offspring after you I will give the land. (Genisis-35:11, 12)” the constant reminder and miracles that helped the Jewish people through the desert, through death of their leaders and through death of their loved ones was always G-ds unconditional blessing regardless of how low we fall. We should stay reminded even in the hardest of times when our stable platform is loosened “HaShem loves me, I have a Bracha.” When Yaakov Avinu was going to be confronted by Esav he split his family for security purposes. Yaakov Avinu knew that regardless of what happens to him, HaShem’s promise remains for his family, for us. As the birth pangs of Aliyah begin for the Jewish people, again we are reminded of our “long and winding road”. We are once again forced to remember our passed, our roots and who we are and who we were. “These are the journeys of the Children of Israel, who went forth from the land of Egypt according to their legions, under the hand of Moses and Aaron (33:16).” The Torah then continues with the names of the many places the Children of Israel journeyed too. The significance and deeper meaning of the names place reflect of the Jewish people and their state of being as a unit at that time. The hardships of the Jewish people are hidden between the lines and reflected off of the deeper meaning of the place. The Jewish people were chased, killed, beaten destroyed and challenged with tests that were passed and not passed. Today we see that these “journeys” have not ceased. Exiled from our land over 2000 years ago, we have gone through many hardships. Our generations have experienced the Spanish inquisition, the Holocaust and masked anti-Semitism (and unmasked for that matter). Yet we are still here stronger and weaker than ever. HaShem reminds us through this Torah portion of His Bracha, We have gone low and high, backwards and forward, but we are still in merit of his unconditional love. When the time comes, in the right time, we are elevated, we are directed home. In a time of mourning we must remember we have not lost the temple in the sense that it is never returning. We have not lost HaShem; we have not lost the relationship this single unit once had. We are simply missing it. We are not mourning, but yearning for its return. We are reminded that we must play our part, before HaShem plays His. In a time of so much destruction and deceit, we must counter it and fix it through unconditional love for our fellow brothers and sisters (and non family members too). In this time more than ever, we must be B’simcha( In joy and happiness and we must cure the cold of the Jewish people. Remember the days of old and fix them today. Remember the destruction of the temple not through the books and stories, but through your own personal experiences every day. Every day the potential is there to fix, but we must be the difference between the generations before us…actualize. Despite our differences we all are still one family. We left Egypt with 12 different paths, but we all still left together. Love yourself and love your neighbor. The Hardships of the Jewish people have grown bigger than ever, but HaShem is still here for us. Before we experience Geulah, before we see the Third Temple we must be prepared to remember. Remember the sins of our ancestors, Remember the sins of our own past and remember that only YOU, YOU and YOU will make the change for us. Before we go up, we must go in. Go into yourself and rip out all the shmutz. In the great words of Matisyahu: “strip away the layers and reveal your soul”. This week I will try to: recognize that with every Aliyah (ascent) comes a Yiridah (descent)/ hardship. With every beautiful sunrise the sun must first set. I will focus with all my energy on the destruction and separation of the Jewish people. I will remember through the Torah portion, the journey of my family. I will remember the struggle and I will redeem the sins of my ancestors. I will remember that with a broken heart we stand before G-d. Even with a Broken heart… HaShem loves you. “ Hashem spoke to Moshe, “Go ascend from here, you and the people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying ;I shall give it to your offspring.’ I shall send an angel of ahead of you, and I shall drive out Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivvite, and the Jebusite- to a land that flows with milk and honey…(Exodus- 33:1-3)” “The Descent is for the sake of the Ascent”-Rebbe Nachman