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

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