HAAZINU: And the Lord
spoke to Moses on that very day, saying, (Deuteronomy 32:48)
HAFTORAH: The G-d who takes vengeance for me; And
brings down peoples under me. (II Samuel 22:48)
PIRKEI AVOT QUALITY: Learns in order to Practice (Lomed Al
Menat La’asot)
PROPHET: Unknown /
Chanani (Mashiach ben David)
LEVITICAL CITY: Future City of Refuge (which will be in the
Tribe of Gad on the other side of the Jordan River)
Week Forty-Eight is the second of the
month of Elul, yet also includes the
second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul. The
verse of Haazinu are of how G-d spoke
to Moshe on that very day. Elul is about understanding that we are to
live in the present, to make changes now, for a better judgment on Rosh
Hashanah. Similarly, Haftorah’s verse
for this week is in the present, unlike most of the rest of the Haftorah, which is either in the past or
in the future.
The
quality of this week also emphasizes the theme of the previous week, to be
proactive in one’s learning and in one’s behavior: one “learns in order to
practice” (lomed al menat la’asot). Our
Teshuvah, return to G-d, during the
month of Elul, must ultimately lead to a change in actual physical deed.
As explained
in the previous week, the prophet for this week is said to be “unknown” by
Rashi. Rabbeinu Chananel and the Vilna Gaon claim that it is “Chanani,”
although we have no information about Chanani other than that he was the father
of another prophet. As also explained last week, it is highly improbable that
Rashi knew only 46 of the 48 prophets, especially given that he even suggests
listing another prophet, Shemayah, in the case that Daniel should not be
counted. Therefore, there is a distinct possibility that these two “unknown”
prophets are referred to this way by Rashi because they had not yet come in
Rashi’s time: Mashiach Ben Yosef and Mashiach Ben David.
One of the
names given for Mashiach Ben David is
Chanina. Another sage with this name, Chanina Ben Dosa, is mentioned in the
Talmud as the quintessential example of a Tzadik
Yesod Olam (the righteous one that is the foundation for the entire world):
“The whole world is nourished because of Chanina, and for Chanina, one amount
of carob is enough from Sabbath eve to the next.” (Brachot 17b) Chanina comes from the word “chen,” which is related to both mercy and grace. Rebbe Nachman
teaches that Mashiach’s main weapon
is prayer, and we learn how to pray from Chanah, whose name also comes from the
word chen.
Yet, despite
Mashiach’s focus on prayer and
teaching Torah (mentioned last week), we know that ultimately the Messianic
times will come when there are physical changes to the reality in which we
live. That is one of the essencial aspects of the concept of malchut (kingship) and of King David
himself, who was involved physically transforming the world for the better. As
the Rebbe would always state, “HaMa’aseh
Hu Ha’Ikar,” the main thing is the deed. The above is closely related to
the quality for this week, to learn in order to do, to practice (lomed al menat la’asot).
In Week 48
of Book I, the Perek Shirah animal is
the scorpion, a reference to the evil inclination and impurity related to
coldness and indifference (a scorpion’s venum is cold). The scorpion is also likely
a reference to Amalek, the archenemy of the Jewish people, who strikes “at the
tail” of the camp (those least connected to the Torah), with “its tail,” as the
verse states:
“Remember
what Amalek did to you on the way as you went out of Egypt. Who met you on the
way and attacked the weak ones, who were straggling [“tailing”] after you, and
you were faint and weary and did not fear G-d.” (Deut. 25:17,18)
Rabbi Avraham Kahn further
explains:
The Hebrew
word for "meeting" used in this connection can also be translated as
"cooling". The nations were afraid of the Jewish people but the
cynicism of Amalek "cooled them down". Rashi compares the cynic to
somebody jumping into a hot bath. Although he got burned, he nevertheless
cooled it down for others, proving that it was possible to survive somewhat to
jump into the hot water. Amalek jumped into the hot bath for no reason other
than to "cool down" the Jewish people.
While Mashiach Ben Yosef’s task appears to be
more related to fighting against the “hot” impurity of the snake, Mashiach Ben David appears more
connected to fighting the coldness and indifference of the scorpion, although
the two are clearly related. Here is Rabbi Ginsburgh explanation of the
scorpion:
Our sages
teach us that the scorpion (עַקְרָב) is the deadliest member of the general category of poisonous
creatures whose archetypal figure is the primordial snake of Eden. The Hebrew
word for "scorpion," derives from the word meaning "heel" (עַקֵב)
as is said: "And you [the snake] shall bite him [man] at the heel"
(Genesis 3:15). Thus the scorpion symbolizes the consummate "bite" of
the snake at the heel of man.
While the
poison of the snake is considered "hot," the poison of the scorpion
is considered "cold." The Mashiach is the one and only soul who can
overcome, kill, and ultimately revive the primordial snake (in order to convert
it to good). (The soul of Mashiach and his continuous state of consciousness
manifest the ultimate rectification of "heat," "burning"
solely in his love for God and Israel, as well as that of
"cold"-absolutely "cold" to the false vanities of this
world.) This is the secret of the well known gematria that "Mashiach"
(מָשִׁיחַ)
equals "snake" (נָחָשׁ).
Every quality can be used for good or for bad. Love and fear,
passion and indifference all have their proper place.
It is worth
also looking at how the teachings for this week and the past one relate to
previous sections of Pirkei Avot:
Rabbi Eliezer would say: The honor of your fellow should be as precious
to you as your own, and do not be easy to anger. Repent one day before your
death. Warm yourself by the fire of the sages, but be beware lest you be burned
by its embers; for their bite is the bite of a fox, their sting is the sting
of a scorpion, their hiss is the hiss of a serpent, and all their words are
like fiery coals. (II:10)
Rabbi Eliezer tells us to repent one day before our death – given that
no one knows when they are going to die, repentance should take place every day
(especially during Elul). Interestingly, Rabbi Eliezer then turns to the idea
of connecting to the sages, yet how one should be careful about his/her
dealings with them. As the Talmud states, “If one merits it, the Torah is an elixir of life; if one does
not merit it, the Torah becomes a potion of death." (Yoma 72b) This is said particularly regarding someone who studies
Torah [and treats Torah scholars] without proper fear of G-d – someone who is
cold and indifferent, like the scorpion, like Amalek above.
This in fact
ties in to the other Pirkei Avot statement
related to the qualities necessary to acquire the Torah of the past two weeks:
Rabbi
Yishmael the son of Rabbi Yossi would say: One who learns Torah in order to
teach, is given the opportunity to learn and teach. One who learns in order to
do, is given the opportunity to learn, teach, observe and do. (IV:5)
Finally, it
is also interesting that both weeks 47 and 48 are weeks of Rosh Chodesh (“head of the month”), almost always the only time
this happens during the year. This parallels the two “heads” of the Jewish
people, Mashiach Ben Yosef and Mashiach Ben David. This issue is
thoroughly addressed in the appendix of Book I, part of which provided below:
This duality in the Jewish calendar
is reflected in the Jewish people itself and in their two prototypical leaders:
Judah and Joseph. As mentioned above, Judah represents Nissan. Tishrei is
represented by Ephraim, the son of Joseph (his other son, Menashe represents
the following month, Cheshvan).
The tension, balance, and contrast
between Judah and Joseph is very apparent in the way the Torah places the very
parallel stories of Joseph and Judah side by side,
as well as in the depiction of their direct confrontation, in the Torah portion
of Vayigash. Even the names of these two tribes are
similar, because Joseph sometimes is called “Yehosef,” carrying the first three letters of G-d’s name, Hashem, just like Judah.
This balance and tension has
continued throughout our history, most notably with King David and King Shaul,
the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel (also called Ephraim in the Torah), and
even eventually with the coming of two Mashiachs,
ben David and ben Yosef, also known as Mashiach
ben Ephraim.
Rabbi Moshe Wolfsohn explains that
this division is reflected even in the current differences between Chassidic
and Lithuanian/non-Chassidic. Similar differences seem to exist between
Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and baalei
teshuvah (those who return to G-d, acknowledging their mistakes) and tzadikim gemurim (righteous one, who
never sinned in the first place). Joseph is the prototype of the tzadik gamur, while Judah of the baal teshuvah.
The prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the
Holy Chariot, Hashem’s holy throne,
has a lion on the right (the symbol of Judah) and an ox on the left (the symbol
of Joseph). The same prophet Ezekiel, in the haftorah reading for Vayigash,
is told by G-d to collect one stick for Judah and one for Ephraim, and to join
them together, symbolizing that in future Yosef
and Yehudah will become completely
united.
The Jewish calendar also contains
another duality and synthesis: its days are counted in accordance with the
cycles of the sun and the moon. While
the West’s calendar (based on the Roman one) is purely solar, and the Islamic
calendar is purely lunar, the Jewish calendar has aspects of both. Each month
in the Jewish calendar follows the moon, yet, as mentioned in Week 22, the
Jewish year often contains two Adar
months. This way, Passover always occurs in the spring, and all other months
correspond to particular seasons accordingly. Here also, Joseph appears
primarily associated with the year as a whole (countering Esau), while Judah
appears to be primarily connected to the lunar months (countering Yishmael).
This week’s prophet is unknown like last week’s. Like the one for last week, Rashi
states that perhaps the prophet is Chanani, the father of one of the other
prophets, whose name is mentioned. One of Mashiach ben David’s names is
Chanina. Therefore, perhaps the prophet for this week is none other than Mashiach ben David. The greatest life
example of Mashiach Ben David is the
Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Rebbe changed the face of world Jewry,
rescuing so many from the cold forces of assimilation and the overall dispersal
that had taken place all over the world after the Holocaust. The Rebbe also
fought strongly against giving in to the forces of Yishmael in Israel. Those
that wanted to give in were many times driven by indifference to the importance
of the Land of Israel, and how giving up land was really a matter of Pikuach Nefesh. In Perek Shirah, in Week
48 of Book 1, the scorpion is a reference to the “cold” yetzer harah. It is
also a reference to Amalek, who strikes “at the tail” of the camp, with “its
tail.” Judah, the ancestor of King David and Mashiach, is the one that fights against Yishmael. The effects of
the Rebbe’s campaign are still very much felt today in Israel, and all over the
world, in many ways, more strongly than ever before. The Rebbe also exemplified
the value of “Lomed al menat la’asot.” He
always stated, HaMa’aseh Hu Ha’Ikar.
The main thing is the deed.
The
levitical city for this week is also unknown. It is also one of the additional
cities to be added on the other side of the Jordan River, once Mashiach comes and the borders of Israel
are expanded. The Tribe of Gad, which represents the month of Elul, also has
its territory on the other side of the Jordan.
