Miller's Musings for Shabbos Chol Hamoed Succos-A Battle Till The End

בס''ד  

 לאה בת אברהם נשמת לעילוי 

To understand Koheles on a superficial level is a virtual impossibility.  Although now read every Shabbos Chol Hamoed Succos, the sages at one point sought to hide it away for fear of it being misinterpreted and debased.  Yet the words of Shlomo Hamelech contain within them some of the most profound and life-altering messages of all of Tanach and to have concealed it would have been a tragedy and an immeasurable loss.  The beginning of the final Chapter reads “So remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and those years arrive in which you will say ‘I have no pleasure in them’”.  What is it that the wisest of all men is warning us about here?  What is it that will occur after the “days of our youth” that is so troubling and requires such cautionary words?    

                       

The path to sincere repentance, is beset on all sides by a beleaguering onslaught of attacks by the Yetzer Horah to stop us returning to Hashem.  The Evil Inclination employs every method at its disposal to dissuade a person from changing their ways and regretting their past.  It will use diversionary tactics to distract us from the mission at hand and it will use mind games to convince us that true Teshuva is an impossibility for us.  To defeat it takes all our energy and constant alertness to its schemes.  King Shlomo first pleads with us to attempt to vanquish it and repent in our youth, before the “evil days” of the negative consequences of our actions are given to us.  But if we are unable to do so, we must be aware that the Yetzer Horah will try another ruse once we have reached old age without atonement.  It will try to persuade us that since we no longer enjoy the pleasures of our youth and the gratification that we took from our former sins, there is no way that we can now genuinely repent.  It is at this time that Shlomo appeals to us to still “remember your Creator” for the road back to Him is never cut off and only awaits our arrival.

The journey through the past two months has been one of perpetual movement towards our loving father.  It may have begun as a return due to the fear of recriminations and repercussions, but the progression into Succos should be an evolution from repentance due to trepidation into repentance due to love.  Succos, a time of tremendous joy, is a time when we express our love for Hashem and appreciation of all He gives us.  The repentance here is because we value our relationship with Him so much that we cannot bear to allow anything to exist within us that might damage it.  Knowing that this love is entirely mutual is something that can defend us against any of the attacks of our Yetzer Horah.  There is nothing that can stand in the way of our Teshuva, because there is nothing that Hashem wants more than our coming back to Him.  No matter where we are, no matter what we have done, no matter how far we have sunk, there is always a way back because Hashem loves us no matter what.

  *May this Shabbos give us the power to defeat our enemy once and for all*

This week’s Miller’s Musing is sponsored: לעילוי נשמת משא בת יצחק and רשא בת לוי

Miller's Musings Parshas Ha'azinu: The Sole Source of Salvation

בס''ד  

The song of our Parsha is one that echoes for an eternity.  Full of the promises of what will occur and admonitions for the consequences of future mistakes, Moshe pleads with the Jews to heed its advice for their own sake and for the sake of peace.  As part of his prophetic vision Moshe declares that after Hashem brings great calamities on the Jewish people “He shall relent regarding His servants, when He sees that the enemy power progresses and none is saved or assisted”.  The Gemoro in Sanhedrin tells us that this is a foretelling of what will occur at the end of days that Hashem will bring about the redemption when He sees that the Jews feel that none will be saved.  In other words it is only when the Jewish people have given up hope of ever being delivered from their exile, that Hashem will then bring about the final salvation, which begs the question as to why this would indeed be the case?

                                                                                                                                                                                      

The duty to long for the coming of the Moshiach is something we are required to do every single day.  We must at some point during our daily routine think about the loss of not having the Beis Hamikdosh and yearn for its return and the time when the world will achieve its perfection.  This is however not just a reaction to the exile, but also a means to bringing about its end.  Our attitude towards our situation, far from where we should be, is a significant part of the solution, perhaps more so than our general good deeds that generate the merit to result in Moshiach coming.  This Posuk, says the Emes L’Yaakov, shows us another key to allowing the redemption to come.  What is referred to in the Posuk is not the Jewish people feeling that there is no hope at all of salvation, but rather there is no hope of salvation other than that brought directly by the hands of Hashem.  When we realise that we cannot bring it about by our own physical efforts or by the political manoeuvrings of anyone, then and only then will Hashem relent and deem us worthy of deliverance.

The days of Moshiach are for many somewhat clouded in mystery and perhaps consisting of more questions than answers.  But if we focus on the concept of the perfection that it will bring and the end to all suffering, we can all agree that it is something that we desperately need and something worthy of desiring.  The world is far from perfect and there are signs for some that the future may be somewhat bleak.  We would do well to remember that if we want the ultimate good in this world, the only means to achieving it is through Hashem’s decision to make it a reality.  He has decided that we must play our part in reaching this goal through the actions we perform.  But save for our craving its appearance and the correct choices we make, it is ultimately only Hashem who can realize this dream and bring the days when only good will be seen and all of life will be so clearly a constant blessing.  

*May this Shabbos show us that Hashem is our only salvation*

  

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

לרפואת אברהם יעקב בן שרה טשארנא

Miller's Musings Parshas Vayelech: For Your Ears Only

בס''ד  

The handing over of the mantle from master to apprentice is a moment of tremendous pride but also poignancy.  Moshe entrusting the reins to Yehoshua his student, upon Hashem’s instruction, must have evoked feelings of regret for Moshe, having lost his chance to lead the people into Canaan.  Adding further to his pain, after Yehoshua received a prophecy, Moshe asked to hear what had been transmitted to him.  Yehoshua replied that just as Moshe had not told him his prophecies, he too could not reveal his prophecy to Moshe.  The Medrash tells us that Moshe’s heartfelt response to this was “It is better to die one hundred times rather than suffer this one pang of jealousy.” There are many that ask how someone of Moshe’s stature could be jealous, but I would like to tackle the question of why Yehoshua was unable to reveal to Moshe his prophecy.

                                                                                                                                                           

Although prophecy was often used as a tool by which to transmit Hashem’s word to the masses, there were also occasions when the communication was meant solely for the prophet.  This must have been one such an instance for Moshe to have needed to request to hear what was said.  A prophecy was a deeply personal experience that was dependent on a person’s own character.  Only Moshe, the greatest of all prophets, the humblest of all men, underwent a prophecy completely devoid of any reflection of his own personality.  This was because he so entirely subjugated himself to G-d, so that his own disposition had no bearing on the vision he received.  For others, like Yehoshua, however, each prophecy was seen by them in their own unique way, through a prism of their individuality.  This meant that, unless they were instructed to transmit it to others, it would be improper and perhaps impossible to disclose the details to anyone else.  It was geared towards and meant for them only and the way that they would see it.  Others would simply not have the wherewithal to perceive it correctly, even those as great as Moshe Rabbeinu. 

We are all born with our own set of characteristics and traits.  This is something we in general accept and, to one extent or another, deal with accordingly.  What we sometimes find more difficult to accept is the differing set of circumstances that we begin life with and the situations that arise during our life.  We often ask why it is we that must suffer and not others, leading to despondency or indignation.  Yet we must learn to appreciate that just as every prophecy was given specifically according to that person’s distinctiveness, so too the messages we are given by Hashem, through the events and situations that occur in our lives, are exclusively purposeful for us and only us.  Understanding this is the first step to acceptance.  The next step is to make the most of what we are given and learn from the messages we receive.

*May Shabbos help us see how our life is exactly as it must be*

  

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה

לרפואת אברהם יעקב בן שרה טשארנה

Miller's Musings Parshas Netzovim: The Oath For Others

בס''ד  

One can only imagine the atmosphere as Moshe stood there before the entire nation beseeching them to follow the ways of Hashem, entreating them to choose the path of the righteous.  The air must have been thick with purpose, resonating with the feeling of the magnitude of the occasion.   A plea from a leader who so deeply loved his people and who in turn was so beloved by his flock. It is worth noting that the Parsha seems incredibly keen to emphasise the fact that everyone was present.  It tells us a number of times that all were there and goes further to list individual categories of people, women, children, the wood choppers.  Our question therefore is why the Torah accentuates this and in answering this we can thereby gain a more profound understanding of the purpose of this momentous gathering. 

                                                                                                                                                                                      

A covenant between man and G-d is something that can certainly not be taken likely.   It is an individual’s oath to forever bind oneself to His will, an undertaking that compels one to live a life according to His commands.   This is an internal, intensely personal undertaking to be the person we were created to be.  But the Torah requires more of us than just looking inwards.  It requires us to extend our gaze to those around us and ensure they too are following the dictates of the Creator.  This, says the Ohr Hachaim, was the raison d'être for the assembly of the nation as a whole and why each group is mentioned distinctly.  It was to charge the people, not just with the responsibility for their own spiritual welfare, but also with an obligation to those around them, to do whatever they could to enable and encourage others to do as the Torah instructs.   This is the unique oath that our Parsha records, an oath made by individuals with all others as the prime focus.  

More than any other, at this time of year our minds are full of thoughts of repentance and renewal.  We are very much focused on ourselves, performing self-analysis and internal scrutiny of our lives and our acts.  This is exactly as it should be and is crucial to our success in judgement.   Yet perhaps this Parsha occurs specifically at this time to remind us of this additional oath, not just to steer ourselves back in the right direction but to ensure others are coming along with us. The mechanism and method by which we achieve this requires thought and consideration so that all those we endeavour to help receive the individualised approach that they need. For some it may only need gentle encouragement, for others more serious persuasion.  Others still may need some sort of rude awakening and alarm bells rung in their ears.  But whatever it is that we need to do, if we are not looking out for others, we are not truly looking out for ourselves either. 

*May this Shabbos help us focus both inwards and outwards*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון

לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה