Miller's Musings Parshas Bereishis: Awake to the Snake

בס''ד

 

That snake certainly has a lot to answer for!  If it wasn’t for the serpent’s deviousness and guile in convincing the first woman and man to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, they would have achieved their end purpose and the world would have risen to the perfection it was meant to attain.  The Zohar tells us that the snake was in essence the physical manifestation of the Yetzer Horah, the Evil Inclination.  This would then mean that the punishment meted out to this duplicitous creature, that man will “pound its head” and that it will “bite his heel”, was also the fate of the Yetzer Horah.  Accordingly, we must ask what exactly this means in reference to the snake as the embodiment of man’s spiritual foe?

Although we were created with the capacity to equally choose good or bad, the merciful nature of G-d demanded that there always be some leaning towards the side of virtue.  When a person makes the decision to rectify their deeds and to follow the path that was meant for them, the transformation can take place in but a moment.  In an instant a reformation can take place that will create a person anew. From the most ardent follower of immorality, to the most committed adherent of that which is righteous.  This, as explained by Rebbi Itzele Blazer, is man striking the Evil Inclination right upon its head, in a direct attack against its very existence.  In contrast, the Yetzer Horah, possesses no such potent capabilities and can only attack at the lowest point of impact, the heel.  To convert a person from a saint to a sinner requires time and patience on the part of that which would wish us spiritual harm, unfortunately both being attributes that it has much of.  For us to leave our upright ways and become corrupted, requires a drip, drip approach, slowly eroding our divine conscience and gradually enticing us, with a snowball effect of moral degradation.  To tempt us into a betrayal of our values in one fell swoop would be impossible, but to tempt us little by little into more minor negative acts is both achievable and ultimately a more lucrative ploy for the side of evil.

What this means for us is that although we can be reassured by the perpetual possibility of almost instantaneous redemption as long as we are alive and take the necessary steps, the more measured approach of the influences of our sinful desires, may make us almost oblivious as to what extent we are within its clutches.  The imperceptible downward spiral may creep up on us and leave us languishing in a place far below we would have ever believed ourselves possible of descending to, before we our even aware of our deterioration.  Knowing this is its approach at least give us the chance to be ever watchful for our decline so that we can arrest it before it is too late, and not find ourselves, just like the Yetzer Horah’s first victims, so distant from where G-d intended us to be.

*May the holiness of Shabbos keep us far from the Yetzer Horah’s grasp*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

Miller's Musings Parshas Vezos Haberocho and Simchas Torah: Moshe, Man of G-d

בס''ד

As Moshe prepares to draw his final breath on earth, he uses his last reserves of energy to bless the Jewish people, a perhaps expected act from one who had devoted his life to the care of G-d’s beloved nation.  Less predictable however, may be the way in which the Torah refers to Moshe, just moments before his demise.  Surely a description that would befit a man of his unprecedented greatness would be required at this juncture, when in fact a rather modest appellation is used; that of “Moshe the man of G-d”. 

In truth trying to encapsulate any person’s entire life in any limited form is nigh on impossible.  How can one condense a life lived into something so succinct as a word or phrase?  But if one could somehow compose something that would epitomise the life of a man devoid of any purpose other than the pursuit of perfection, perhaps man of G-d would be it.  Man is the impossible fusion of a physical body and a G-dly soul and is so constructed to create a relentless battle for dominance between these two irreconcilable enemies.  The designation man of G-d may refer to a man who is so entrenched in exclusively spiritual activities that all traces of the body have become eradicated to the point of nonexistent so that he is truly only a man of G-d.  Moshe was just such a man.  Every other description of him would only be a corollary of this one primary quality, his entirely spiritual existence.

On the day of Simchas Torah when this final portion is read, a day that is meant to evoke feelings of tremendous happiness, what greater source for joy can there be than the awareness of man’s potential greatness.  To fully appreciate our ability to transcend the animal nature within us and to become entirely G-dlike is a notion that should stir within us on the one hand a sense of responsibility but at the same time elation with the realisation of the capacity for infinite good each one of us possesses.  The Torah that we complete on this day provides the guidance we need to achieve this and as we then begin it anew we set off once again on our lifelong journey towards our own personal missions to become people of G-d.  The first step is to recognize and understand the G-dliness that is contained within us. The next is to start down the path to making it all that we are.

*May Simchas Torah imbue us with the joy of all that we are and all we can be.* 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

and may the Torah learning be a zechus for a Refua Sheleima for Michoel ben Yehudis and Pessa bas Raska Devorah

Miller's Musings Parshas Haazinu: The Rain on Your Parade

בס''ד

How do you like your Torah?  As rain or as dew?  Moshe in his final address to the Jewish people suggests that there are two forms that the transmission of the Torah can take. One is to “drip like the rain”, whilst the other is to “flow like the dew”.  Rashi seems to indicate that the latter is the more preferable one, as dew is something that is appreciated and gladly received by all, whereas rain may vex some and infuriate others.  One may wonder why, if this is so, that Moshe desires that his Torah should ever be conveyed in the manner of rain rather than in the apparently more greatly valued dew format? 

Perhaps most fundamental to understanding our role in this world, is our capacity to fully appreciate the nature of existence vis-à-vis the ongoing spiritual battle we are embroiled in every moment of our lives.  It is for this that we were created and it is with this that we will fulfil our purpose.  An integral part of this conflict involves our natural reaction to the words of the Torah.  If each instruction would fully comply with our own innate desires and predilections, no struggle would ever manifest itself, and there would cease to be a point to our being here.  Because some of the messages may be divergent from the way we view the world or seek to live our lives, a reconciliation is required to bring us back in line with the Torah’s dictums and directives.  Perhaps the analogy of rain is not there to imply an inferior mode of teaching, but the superior one, hence it being listed first, because it involves the need to subjugate ourselves to our Creator due to the instinctive rejection of some of His commands.

There are people who only seek Torah and teachers of Torah that will consistently fail to challenge them.  As long as they can stay perpetually within their comfort zone, they will have found the type of Torah they desire.  But Torah is about seeking the ultimate truth, not trying to merely confirm our version of it.  Religious integrity demands that we accept that not all we will hear will align with our way of thinking and maybe that means our way of thinking may have to change.  This does not mean that we can not look for those who guide us to be people who in a general sense share our beliefs and values. But if the wisdom they impart never threatens our safe, settled way of life, we may be lacking the true Torah we need to awaken us from our spiritual slumber.  If the Torah we are being offered doesn’t sometimes inspire a passionate reaction within us, we may be living a convenient life in the warm glow of sunshine, but we will never be receiving the nurturing rain that is so indispensable to our growth.

May the infusion of Shabbos's power rouse us from our sleeping.

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

Miller's Musings Parshas Vayelech: It's The Way You Tell 'Em

As the baton of leadership was about to pass from master to disciple, from Moshe to his foremost student Yehoshua, Hashem instructs His devoted servant to summon Yehoshua to the Tent of Meeting so that Hashem can “command him”.  The difficulty here lies in the fact that as the Parsha continues, we so no such instructions being given to Yehoshua, rather they are all directed at Moshe.  Added to that, if we carefully inspect that which Moshe is told, it seems like information that is entirely irrelevant to him, foretelling of what will transpire when the Jewish people enter the Holy Land, something Moshe regrettably would never be a part of. 

If we try for a moment and envisage how Yehoshua must have felt at that moment, on the cusp of being entrusted with the daunting undertaking of leading the Jewish people into the Promised Land, we can imagine that the overriding feeling that he would have been experiencing would be one of trepidation.  Not only was he being tasked with tending to Hashem’s chosen people.  Not only was he responsible for ensuring they followed the dictates of Hashem and claimed their precious inheritance exactly as proscribed.  But added to all this, he was replacing the greatest human being and most supreme leader of men the world had ever known.  Can you imagine the apprehension and sheer panic that must have been coursing through Yehoshua?  If this was as I have suggested, maybe we can propose that the intended recipient of this entire message, that was seemingly given to Moshe, was in fact Yehoshua.  Perhaps it was directed at Moshe and relayed in this way, with Yehoshua still very much in attendance, so as to in some way diminish for Yehoshua the impact and force of the realisation of the magnitude of what lay ahead of him.  Aiming these words at Moshe let Yehoshua feel one step removed from the prospect of all that was to come, thereby reducing the anxiety of such a monumental moment. 

Whether you are an educator, a parent or simply a friend, there are times when you feel it necessary to impart a message to another.  We may think that the central focus must be on the message itself, when in fact our attention must be entirely on the person receiving it.  Sometimes we may convince ourselves that it is a necessity for the other, when in truth we are being entirely disingenuous and the true motivation for speaking is our own ego.  Careful consideration must be given to whether it truly should be conveyed and, if it is required, in which manner it should be expressed so as to have the most profound impact whilst eliminating the possibility of negative consequences to the one we are attempting to help.  Communication is an absolute necessity for any relationship, but like all the most powerful weapons we possess, it must be handled with supreme care.  As long as we are single-minded in our sincere devotion to others, it will be wielded with precision and purpose for the betterment of those who need us and the good of those we need. 

*May this Shabbos speak to us as only Hashem’s holy Shabbos can.* 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם