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68 Detroit Jewish News
It is, in effect, Moses' last will and
testament.
The Israelites' transformation
from a band of freed slaves to a
nation that was about to claim its
divine inheritance did not go with-
out glitches. The generation that left
Egypt demonstrated time after time
his weekend is Shabbat
that they placed little faith in the
Chazon, the Sabbath of
God that redeemed them from
the Vision.
bondage or in the leadership of
It takes its name from
Moses, and he felt compelled to
the opening words of the Haftorah,
remind them of their recent past.
which describes the prophet Isaiah's
The golden calf, the spies and
vision of the impending destruction
other episodes cast doubt
of the Beit Hamikdash, the
over the Jewish people's
holy Temple. It coincides on
faith in God. Moses feared
the Hebrew calendar with
that even 40 years of daily
Tisha B'Av, which marks the
miracles in the desert
destruction of both the First
would not be enough to
and Second Temples in
keep the people's behavior
Jerusalem.
in check.
In the Bible, the sedrah
Moses had witnessed the
Selach Lecha, chapter 14:2,
restlessness and rebellious
says the Jewish people cried
nature of the Jewish people
to Moses and Aaron, "Why
during their desert wander-
JOS EPH
did you bring us in this
ings even though the divine
MERME
LSTEIN
wilderness to die? We would
presence
traveled in their
Spec ial to
rather stay in Egypt and die
midst.
He
was mindful of
The Jew ish News
there!" Rashi explains that it
the temptations and dis-
was on Tisha B'Av that the
tractions that the people
spies gave their pessimistic reports on
would face once they crossed the
the prospects for conquering the
Jordan and entered the land of
land of Canaan. It was God's anger
Israel. They would be dispersed
over this unwarranted lack of faith
throughout the land, no longer con-
that would permanently stain the
centrated in a single camp; and they
ninth of Av on the Jewish calendar.
would not witness the daily miracles
Ironically, it is also when we begin
and other reminders of God's pres-
reading Deuteronomy, which opens
ence that sustained them during
with Moses addressing the people as
their desert wanderings. Life would
they prepare themselves to enter the
take on a sense of normalcy not pre-
promised land. According to tradi-
viously experienced in their 40 years
tion, this book chronicles the last
of wandering and he wanted to make
five weeks of Moses' life and he uses
sure the people were prepared for
it as an opportunity to review the
this change.
Israelites' history, the laws of the
In order to prepare for this disper-
Torah as well as to offer a warning
sion and growth, Moses had to set
against going astray.
With the last of the generation
that witnessed the exodus passing on,
Moses views it as the perfect time to
sum up the desert experience.
The narrative is unique in its per-
Do our leaders, our role models,
spective. Unlike the previous books
and we ourselves pass the tests of
of the Torah where God spoke to
faith and behavior in this week's
Moses who then transmitted the
readings? What are the implica-
words to the people, in this week's
tions of falling short of these
portion, Moses is quoted as telling
goals? Can you name the kings
the people, "God spoke to me." It is
and generals who conquered
both interpretations of experiences
Jerusalem at the time of the First
through the eyes of Moses as well as
Temple and made the Jews cap-
an outpouring of his frustrations
tives? Who were the three rich
over the past and fears for the future.
Jewish people, at the time of the
Second Temple, who promised to
Reverend Joseph Mermelstein is the
deliver necessities when the
ritual director of Congregation Beth
Romans surrounded Jerusalem?
Abraham Hillel Moses.
Shabbat Devarim:
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22;
Isaiah 1:1-27.
T
up a basic governing infrastructure.
As the people grew large in number,
their needs grew more complex as
well. Moses lamented the burdens of
leadership that he alone faced. The
Hebrew word aicha, meaning "How
can I?," is used in this week's sedrah.
The second chapter begins with the
word aicha and is uttered by Moses,
asking, "How can I alone carry your
contentiousness, your burdens and
your quarrels?" On the advice of his
father-in-law Jethro, Moses appoint-
ed judges to assist him in handling
disputes. He reminded the people of
this and of the need to appoint
judges in the future who possessed
the attributes he described.
Knowledge of the laws of Torah was
not enough; honesty, fairness,
patience and integrity beyond
reproach were also necessary in car-
rying out judgments.
The lament of aicha is the com-
mon thread that runs through the
readings this week. Three leaders of
the Jewish people are recorded as
having used this lament as they wit-
nessed or foretold of impending cata-
strophe. The first was Moses, fol-
lowed by Isaiah and Jeremiah.
The "Jalkoot Shemone" explained
that when Moses uttered this lament,
the outlook for the Jewish people
was still upbeat. Despite the long
and difficult experience of the desert
wanderings, things would get better
since the people would enter the
promised land.
Isaiah (1:27) laments over the
rampant corruption that has overtak-
en the people. The justice that Moses
spoke of and emphasized can no
longer be found in Jerusalem. They
had forgotten the warnings of Moses
and had come full circle in their
behavior. Finally, we have Jeremiah
who witnessed the Temple's destruc-
tion and the ensuing exile. These
passages will be read on the eve of
Tisha B'Av.
We have never really recovered
from the destruction memorialized
on Tisha B'Av. The holy Temple still
awaits rebuilding; our dispersion and
exile continue and the Holocaust is a
not-too-distant memory. Although
we have been fortunate to witness
the rebirth of the State of Israel, the
healing process goes on; we, as a peo-
ple, remain divided on many issues.
As we approach this weekend, we
should pause to reflect on the lesson
of Tisha B'Av and ask ourselves if we
live up to the qualities so important
to Moses. Ei