Miller's Musings Parshas Haazinu: What Are You Doing Here?

This week's Miller's Musings is sponsored

לעילוי נשמת

לאה בת אברהם

ולרפואה שלמה לנפתלי מאיר בן אסתר

                                                                            דבס'' 

MILLER’S MUSINGS

האזינו פרשת

What Are You Doing Here?

The song of Haazinu, delivered by Moshe just before his soul was returned to its Creator, is one that encompasses all of Jewish history.  In it he tells of how the Jewish people were chosen by Hashem and treated as His beloved nation. How they will betray Him and He will hide His face from them.  And how there will ultimately be a reconciliation when He will avenge his children and bring them back home where they belong.  The Posuk tells how the Jews will have “forgot the Rock Who gave birth to you”, a phrase that, like many others in this Parsha, requires some urgent elucidation.  

The creation of man was something infinitely wondrous in so many ways.  Endowing a being of flesh and blood with something so G-dly as our divine soul.  Entrusting mere fallible mortals with the power to choose between good and bad, illumination and destruction.  Forming us with the intention to eventually bestow upon us the most precious gift of all, the blueprint for all existence and the manifestation of Hashem’s very thoughts; the Torah.  Only Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, could make such a judgement.  But there were those Angels that vehemently opposed His decision and expressed their fervent disapproval of such a notion.  “What is a frail human being!” they proclaimed.  How could You want to create something with the horrific deeds such as those that they will perform!  Fortunate are we that Hashem persisted, punishing those who protested and bringing us into being regardless.  This is what is being referred to in this Posuk, says the Ohr Hachaim, who translates it not as “You forgot” but as “you weakened the Rock who gave birth to you”.  For by rejecting the path He created you for and refusing to follow Hashem’s will, you are undermining the entire purpose of your birth that the Rock, Hashem, despite protestations, deemed you worthy of. 

  

There are many reasons to follow the Torah and comply with Hashem’s wishes for us.  He is the Ultimate Good and hence His commands must be the supreme best for us.  A life of Torah is one full of meaning, every waking hour and even when we sleep.  But perhaps the greatest reason, that we must constantly remind ourselves of, is that this is what we were created for.  It is our purpose in existing and the sole reason for which He saw fit to form us out of nothingness.  Do what He asks of us and we are fulfilling the purpose of the entire creation, justifying His faith in us and making our existence worthwhile.  Discard the intention that He had for us and we are proving those Angels to have been accurate in their opinion of us and are making ourselves unworthy of His conviction in our merit.  We have spent so much time the past weeks reaffirming our belief in His having fashioned us, being our King and us having a role in this world.  But the work does not end there.  We must remind ourselves constantly why we are here and what this means for our daily living.  We were created for a purpose.  Hashem believed in us enough to do so.  Let us not let Him down.   

*May this Shabbos remind us of the days of creation and why we were created*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם  

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE IN YOUR SHUL

If you would like to sponsor a week of Miller’s Musings l’ilui nishmas someone, for a Refuah Sheleima or to celebrate a Simcha please send a message to millersmusingsrabbi@gmail.com or to 07531332970

Miller's Musings Parshas Vayelech: Bring The Kids ALong

​

This week's Miller's Musings is sponsored

לעילוי נשמת

לאה בת אברהם

ולרפואה שלמה לנפתלי מאיר בן אסתר

                                                                            דבס'' 

MILLER’S MUSINGS

 וילךפרשת  

Bring The Kids Along

All the Jewish people gathered together in the Beis Hamikdosh.  All there to witness the king’s recital of the Torah for the mitzvah of Hakhel.  It must have been an awesome sight to behold and one which would provide inspiration and wonder in equal measure.  Man, woman and child were required to come witness this event, all for different reasons.  But it is the rationale behind the children coming that I would like to discuss.  For the reason given is in order to grant reward to the ones who bring them.  But if there is an intrinsic purpose in the youth being there, then wouldn’t that be reason enough?  And if there is no inherent reason for their presence, then what would the reward be for?  Just for carrying them there without any actual objective to their attendance!

The mitzvah of Hakhel took place every seven years and entailed far greater depth than merely a mass gathering of the people, even in such a holy setting and as part of such a sacred occasion.  In fact, says Reb Yitzchok Hutner zt’l, the entire process was in essence a reenactment of the giving of the Torah at Sinai.  It was able to somehow convey the power and majesty of that unparalleled experience and impact on those present accordingly.  The Rambam in fact talks of the need for the people there “to listen…like the day it was given at Sinai” and to “see himself as if he was now commanded about it and heard it from the mouth of Hashem”.  Once we have said this we understand the need for children to be amongst the onlookers.  For if it is to truly emulate the Divine Revelation at Sinai, it must include all those who witnessed that event, which of course included even the youngest of the Jewish people.  This was the basis for the reward the ones bringing them received.  Because it allowed Hakhel to truly reflect the single greatest event in human history; Har Sinai.   

Hashem came down to this world and bestowed upon us the most precious gift mankind will ever receive.  Yet we have an obligation to continue this transmission, throughout the generations, passing on the Torah’s teachings wherever and however we can. This commandment to carry our children along with us, communicates to us the essential role that our children must play in this transmission.  It is not enough to hope they will pick up where we left off, but we must actively take them with us.  We must do whatever it takes to ensure they experience the Torah in a way that sweeps them up in its truth, beauty and profundity.  We must utilise whatever approach has the most impact on them in the most positive way possible, and give careful consideration to what that approach may be.  If we are not thinking as individuals and as a community about our children, we are leaving a gaping chasm that any number of corruptive influences are waiting and willing to fill.  Let’s bring them along and fill it with Torah so that our future as a people is ensured until Moshiach is here and we witness His revelation once again and the whole world sees it too.   

  

*May this Shabbos be as wondrous to our children as it is to us*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם  

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PRINT OFF

AND DISTRIBUTE IN YOUR SHUL

If you would like to sponsor a week of Miller’s Musings l’ilui nishmas someone, for a Refuah Sheleima or to celebrate a Simcha please send a message to millersmusingsrabbi@gmail.com or to 07531332970