24 August 8 • 2019
jn
A
s the Book of
Deuteronomy opens,
Moses begins to
reflect on all that has hap-
pened to the Jewish people
until this point, the highs
and lows, the triumphs and
failings.
Moses appears to be a
confident orator as he waxes
poetic in a grand fashion to
the entire Jewish nation.
Interestingly, Rabbi
Jonathan Sacks points out
that in terms of being a rhet-
orician, Moses had earlier
described himself in less-
than-glowing terms. Exodus 4:10
reads: “I am not a man of words,
neither from yesterday nor from
the day before yesterday, nor from
the time You have spoken to Your
servant, for I am heavy of mouth
and heavy of tongue.” Understood
to have a figurative nervousness or
physical ailment, Moses admits he
feels unworthy for the “stage.”
What changed? How did Moses
become the spokesman for the
Jewish people? The key is in God’
s
immediate response: “But the Lord
said to him, “Who gave man a
mouth, or who makes [one] dumb
or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not
I, the Lord? So now, go! I will be
with your mouth, and I will instruct
you what you shall speak.”
God leads a person in the direc-
tion that he wants to go. Deep
down, Moses wanted to lead the
Jewish people; he wished to make a
difference, to relieve their suf-
fering in a way he could. He
aspired to settle their differ-
ences and bring harmony to
the people. [See the episode
when two Jews quarreled in
Exodus 2:13-14].
Yes, he had a speech imped-
iment and was unsure of his
stage presence. God said, “All
will be well. I will assist you.”
Suddenly, Moses becomes a
confident leader.
Often, we underestimate
ourselves and our abilities.
We think it is beyond us to
explore a challenging Jewish
text for the first time or take on
a new project for our synagogue.
Moses’
story teaches us that this is
not the case. With God’
s help and
fellow Jews rooting us on, we can
push ourselves beyond our natural
limitations. We can summon more
out of ourselves than we imagined.
Greatness is about where we are
going, not where we came from.
Tisha b’
Av is upon us. During this
time of historical hardship for the
Jewish people, we hope and pray
to God for the restoration of the
Temple in Jerusalem. This will allow
the Jewish people to fully flourish
to our Holy Land. The Messiah can
come in the blink of an eye, as stat-
ed in the Talmud (B.T. Sanhedrin
97a).
Expect the unexpected. ■
Rabbi Yaacov Lasson serves Jewish Senior
Life of Michigan.
Rabbi
Yaacov Lasson
Parshat
D’
varim:
Deuteronomy
1:1-3:22;
Isaiah
1:1-27.
spirit
torah portion
Expect the Unexpected
Wh
e
t
h
e
r
y
o
u
p
r
e
fe
r
r
e
l
axin
g
b
y
t
h
e
p
o
o
l
,
a
fr
ie
n
dl
y
game
o
f
t
e
n
n
is,
o
r
a
h
igh
in
t
e
n
sit
y
k
ic
k
b
o
xin
g
c
l
ass,
Fr
an
k
l
in
At
h
l
e
t
ic
Cl
u
b
o
ffe
r
s
u
n
iq
u
e
me
mb
e
r
sh
ip
s
T
O
FI
T
y
o
u
r
l
ife
st
y
l
e
.
M
e
n
t
io
n
t
h
is
ad
t
o
a
me
mb
e
r
SHI
P
REPRESENT
AT
I
VE
AND
RECEI
VE
A
CO
M
PLI
M
ENT
ARY
O
NE
DAY
FAM
I
LY
GUEST
PASS
AFT
ER
A
T
O
UR
O
F
O
UR
NEWLY
RENO
VAT
ED
CLUB*.
ONE OF MICHIGAN’
S
PREMIER ATHLETIC CLUBS
T H E R E ’ S N E V E R B E E N A B E T T E R T I M E TO E X P E R I E N C E
SUMMER MEMBERSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE
Co
n
t
ac
t
248-352-8000
EXT
235
o
r
me
mb
e
r
se
r
vic
e
s@ffr
c
.
n
e
t
FRANKLI
N
AT
HLET
I
C
CLUB
29350
No
r
t
h
we
st
e
r
n
Hwy
So
u
t
h
fie
l
d,
M
I
48034
fr
an
k
l
in
c
l
u
b
.
c
o
m
*OFFER EXPIRES 8.1.2019