Miller's Musings Parshas Voeschanon: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

To come so close and yet not quite make it in to the Promised Land, must have been a heartbreaking and tragic blow for Moshe Rabbeinu.  Moshe implored Hashem to reverse this decision to not allow him to bring the Jewish people into Eretz Yisroel, but to no avail.  In recounting his supplication to Hashem, Moshe mentions his plea to “Please let me cross and see the good land”.  The Ohel Torah questions why it was necessary for Moshe to ask both that he cross over and that he see the good land?  Surely once he has entered the land he will by necessity inevitably see it!   

It is oft said that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, but in fact all vision is in the eye of the beholder.  That which is beautiful to one may be repulsive to another.  But equally an experience that is cherished by one individual could be felt to be something extremely unpleasant by another.  Ultimately how something is viewed is defined by the stance from which one views it.  Are we looking for the positives within it or are we already predisposed to seeing the negatives because of a pessimistic attitude that colours all we see.  These are decisions that we can actively make ourselves, but, says the Ohel Torah, we can also ask for Divine assistance in always seeing the good in everything.  This was what Moshe was asking from Hashem.  Not only that he should arrive in the land of our forefathers, but that he should only see the good of the land, and only notice its merits.  For this as well Moshe recognized he could not solely rely on his own efforts, but must also seek the help of Hashem.  

There are so many things that we ask from Hashem for ourselves and others.  Good health, prosperity, success.  Yet in truth all these are for nothing if we do not appreciate them when we have them.  Good health is indeed a blessing, but will not make us happy unless we focus on our ‘good fortune’ to have it.  Prosperity can be of great value, but only if we are cognizant of the great potential for good that it carries.  And success is only treasured when we pause to recognize the worth of our achievements.  This is tremendously important, for without the correct perspective we can have everything, and yet have nothing.  If we do not focus on the good, we will be squandering the gifts we are given.  So in addition to all we pray for, whether it be those things we have mentioned, or anything we request from Hashem, let us also add in an entreaty to Him to give us the correct sight with which to view His blessings.  The sight that sees all the good in our lives and filters out any bad.  This may in fact be the most important prayer of all. 

*May Shabbos help us see the good in all we are given* 

לעילוי נשמת                      לאה בת אברהם         לעילוי נשמת     שרה יעל בת גרשון    לרפואת               אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

Miller's Musings Parshas Mattos Masei - Knowledge is Power

If a message is important, you would surely think that you would want as many people as possible to hear it.  This certainly seems to be the case with the Torah which was transmitted through Moshe to all the Jewish people.  Yet our Parsha begins with a seeming exclusivity in the recipients of the instruction with regard to making vows.  We are told that Moshe told it to the heads of the tribes alone, which of course makes us question why it would be that only they were worthy of receiving this commandment, as opposed to all the others that were imparted to each and every Jew alike?

The laws that make up the litany of principles that govern the making of vows are numerous and complex.  One area of particular intricacy is that of nullifying and dismissing of vows.  Under certain circumstances the father or husband of one who had made a promise, was sanctioned by the Torah to be able to annul what their child or wife had pledged to do.  This was deemed necessary by Hashem in His infinite wisdom, but carried with it an inherent risk, that of creating a potential of degrading the seriousness of a vow and the absolute requirement to fulfil it.  Allowing the possibility of rescinding the vow, could lead to some not treating it with the required caution, knowing that there could be a nullification at a later stage.  This, says the Ramban, was why the laws were communicated only to the wisest of the people, the heads of the tribes, those who would never allow the tremendous power of a vow to become belittled or demeaned.

There are those that say that knowledge is power, and it would be hard to argue against it.  But power in the wrong hands can perhaps be more dangerous than a lack of power for those who deserve it.  To define all knowledge as by definition good can be a very dangerous thing to do, as surely we all believe that there are some things that are best left hidden.  Children, for example, surely do not need to be aware of everything that is out there.  No matter how ‘open-minded’ one may be, surely there are some things that one would want to protect our youth from!  Once we concede to this, the only question is where we draw the line and which information our sensibilities and values consider inappropriate, harmful and detrimental to the recipients of it.  The risk is in thinking that we have to know everything and need those we are responsible for to have access to all that the world contains.  To view this as some form of eternal truth does a tremendous disservice to ourselves and those we care for, when in truth the greatest good we can do is to block out that which will distance us from our purpose and keep us away from the pleasure of Hashem’s divine embrace.

*May Shabbos inspire us to change and change for the better*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

Miller's Musings Parshas Pinchos: Spearheading the Attack

  בס''ד  

A zealot is an epithet for a person that can certainly evoke negative connotations.  Zeal used incorrectly can have devastating effects, a fact we have witnessed only too clearly in recent history.  Yet in our Parsha, Pinchos is handsomely rewarded for his feat of derring-do, slaying the Jewish leader, Zimri, found with a Midianite. The accolades show us that Pinchos’s act was indeed a correct one.  But could he have not chosen a more gentle approach?  Perhaps waiting until the time was right to set Zimri back on the path?  Surely there was a chance of the sinner seeing the error of his ways once the passion had subsided and he could properly consider his terrible indiscretion?    

Context is incredibly important when judging any situation.  Without it, it is entirely impossible to understand a person’s actions or to in any way appraise their deeds.  When Zimri, the Jewish prince, committed his sin it was not at a point when he may not have realised the evil in his actions.  It was whilst witnessing the death by supernatural plague of twenty four thousand people!  So many lives extinguished so suddenly, the direct consequence of their involvement with the Midianite women and participation in their idol worship.  If despite this, a leader amongst the nation was unable to extricate himself from such behaviour, then there was no way back and no other option but to put an end to this atrocity in the most ferocious and forthright manner possible.  If, as the Michtav M’Eliyohu understands it, Zimri was so entrenched in this immorality that he could overlook all that was going on around him, his obstinacy and intractability would persist no matter how much anyone would try to show him his grave error of judgement. 

There is no question that the example of Zimri is an extreme one.  To persist in this way after so clear a sign of it being manifestly wrong, indicates just how stiff-necked and obdurate Zimri must have been once fixated on this sin.  Yet to simply look down with disdain upon Zimri, would be to neglect to admit to our own failings in this very area.  There are surely beliefs embedded within us that we cling to no matter how clear the arguments against them may be.  Are there not behaviours that we exhibit that we find any justification to continue, despite them blatantly being improper?  We all have this obstinacy at times, an unwillingness to change in the face of irrefutable evidence for needing to do so and it requires profound introspection to be aware of our own self-deception.  We must always allow our eyes to be opened by the truth and our views to be changed by our search for integrity in all we do and believe. 

*May Shabbos inspire us to change and change for the better*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה