Deuteronomy, 1:1-3:22
This Week’s Torah Portion | July 7-13, 2013 – Tammuz 29-Av 6, 5773

In A Nutshell

The portion, Devarim (These Are the Words) begins with a long speech that Moses makes before the people of Israel just before his death. The portion contains a historic review of the forty years in the desert, which Moses describes to the people of Israel.

The portion also deals with appointing the presidents of the tribes and the judges, the sin of the spies and the punishment, the relationships between Israel and Edom, Israel and Moab, and Israel and Amon, as well as the wars with Sihon and Og. Moses reinforces Joshua, son of Nun, as the next leader of the people of Israel, who is to lead them into the land of Israel.

Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman

From the cascading of the spiritual degrees and what we learn about the perception of reality, we know there is no world outside of us. All that exists are the spiritual states we go through, states that are depicted within us. Everything is within us, as it is said, “man is a small world.”

We move from state to state. Each state emerges out of its predecessor and is included in it. This is called a Partzuf (face). Each state contains what exists in the previous one, the Reshimot (recollections), impressions, and memories out of which it is born, and which it must now implement. Nothing comes out of thin air; everything relies on what precedes it.

These are the stages by which one ascends from the degree of the desert to the degree of the land of Israel. The degree of the land of Israel contains all the previous degrees, from Adam HaRishon (the first man, Adam), with whom the Torah begins. This is why we find that the Torah always repeats states described in previous books and extends them to the next, higher degree.

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Glossary of Terms Used in the Devarim Weekly Torah Portion

• What does it mean that nations must be destroyed, such as Amon, Moab, and Edom, which are desires within us?
• Speech / Dialog
• Leader
• Equality
• Unfounded Hatred
• New World
• Then Moses Sang

What does it mean that nations must be destroyed, such as Amon, Moab, and Edom, which are desires within us?

Destroying them means that we temporarily avoid using them. We cannot, nor should destroy these desires. On the contrary, we must freeze them within us until we can correct them and use them properly.

Speech / Dialog

It is an internal scrutiny. Man is his own psychologist. He analyzes himself. We analyze which desire to use and which to not use, and whether a desire should be used one way or another.

But once we have made a scrutiny, where will we find the strength to carry it out?

This requires two lights—one for scrutiny, and one for correction. This is why it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice” because “The light in it reforms them.” That is, only through the light does one go through all those stages. During the study, the wisdom of Kabbalah brings us inner light with which we see how things are. We begin to see our own internal system, and how we partake in the overall system of the world.

Leader

A leader is one’s highest quality, whereby scrutinizing it we advance.

Equality

Everyone is equal idiosyncratically. Put differently, we need to take into account that we are not born equal in our qualities or desires. Accordingly, each of us should receive differently.

Does that apply to both this world and to spirituality?

Yes, but for that we need to know people’s internality. Otherwise we will not distribute justly. The human society of today cannot resolve these problems until we learn the laws of Nature. Society must come to know the internality of the world, so eventually we will have no choice but to study the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Unfounded Hatred

These are forces of rejection that a person discovers within when wanting to draw closer to people. However, it happens only on condition that one truly wishes to unite with others. We discover that these forces exist without expecting to find them. These are things that we receive at birth, deliberately, from above.

New World

We have now entered a new, circular, global system of Nature, which is closing us together in a sphere. We are interdependent and cannot break apart or manage ourselves independently, both within the factions of the nation, and throughout the world.

The formulas for this are found in the wisdom of Kabbalah. If we study them, we will be able to manage the world beautifully.

Then Moses Sang

“Should you say, ‘Since they are tied in the bundle of life and delight in the upper pleasure, why should the Creator bring them down to earth?’ When all those spirits and souls that were in the highest degree were born and came out to the world, the Creator brought them down to earth below. It is all the more so now, since the Creator wishes to straighten what is crooked by showing them the signs and wonders that He will do for Israel.’”

Zohar for All, BeShalach (When Pharaoh Sent), item 218

Dr. Michael Laitman discusses why anti-Semitism is on the rise today in this episode of Jtimes.

To see facts & statistics on the global rise in anti-Semitism in recent years, view this “Global Rise in Anti-Semitism” infographic at the website JewsNews »

To read Dr. Laitman’s latest book Like A Bundle of Reeds discussing why anti-Semitism is on the rise again, what’s so unique about being Jewish today, and what is the key to cure the rising Judeophobia: BundleOfReeds.com

Numbers, 33:1-36:13
This Week’s Torah Portion | June 30 – July 6, 2013 – Tammuz 22-28, 5773

In A Nutshell

The portion, Masaei (Journeys) describes the journeys of the children of Israel, the stops where they parked in the desert, and their final preparations to enter the land of Israel. The portion details several commandments, such as the obliteration of idol worship, cities of refuge, the rules regarding involuntary manslaughter, appointing presidents to the tribes under the leadership of Joshua, son of Nun, and Elazar the Priest, dedicating cities for the people of the tribe of Levi, and a description of the boundaries of the land.

The portion ends with the continuation of the story of the daughters of Zelophehad, the fear of the tribe of Menashe that they would marry men from other tribes, thus causing the tribe of Menashe to lose its lots. In consequence, Moses issues a warrant prohibiting the daughters of Zelophehad from marrying men of other tribes, as well as other prohibitions that concern marriages of people from different tribes.

Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman

The portion is a preparation to enter the land of Israel. At this stage we begin the inner work, rising to a degree where our will to receive connects with the upper force. Here we discover the upper force because we are living inside that desire.

It is written that the land of Israel is the land where the Creator is present from the beginning of the year to its end. That is, He is always in the land of Israel—in a desire that is aiming entirely to bestow, Yashar El (straight to God). A person discovers the upper force within that desire and is in Dvekut (adhesion) with it. This is the intention of the land of Israel.

From this we can learn to what extent we are not in the spiritual land of Israel, but in the corporeal one. Kabbalists tell us that we have been given the opportunity to return to the corporeal (physical) land of Israel so as to rise to the spiritual one. For this purpose, we must all be together, united as a family, “as one man with one heart,” as in “All of Israel are friends” and as in “love your neighbor as yourself.” We have connected on the stipulation of mutual guarantee, and only if we meet this criterion will we enter the land of Israel.

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Glossary of Terms Used in the Masaei Weekly Torah Portion

• Stops
• Idol Worship
• The Borders of the Land
• City of Refuge
• The Complete Land of Israel

Stops

Stops are degrees through which we advance toward correction. There is the preparation period, and then the states where we come into correction, to the desire to bestow in order to bestow, a state of “that which you hate, do not do to your friend.” We must be neutral, as though neutralizing our egos. This is called “obtaining the degree of Bina,” or keeping the Mitzvot (commandments) of 248 organs. In spirituality, it is called Galgalta ve Eynaim (skull and eyes). These degrees are called “the degrees of the desert.”

Afterward we enter the degrees called “land of Israel,” Yashar El (straight to God), where we reach “love your neighbor as yourself.” In those degrees we have the correction of the desires called 365. There are 248 organs in the degrees of the desert, and 365 tendons in the degrees of the land of Israel, and all of them are parts of the soul.

Idol Worship

Idol worship is when we do not want to work in bestowal toward others, but only for ourselves. We make ourselves as gods and bow to ourselves.

The Borders of the Land

The borders of the land are the borders by which our big will to receive marks how far we can reach, with which desires we can bestow, and which desires we must restrict and refrain from using.

City of Refuge

A city of refuge is desires that we “freeze.” Sometimes we are immersed in such thoughts, desires, and predilections that we cannot work on corrections with them. We therefore put those desires on hold. It is a state where we are powerless, devoid of a Masach (screen) with which to work in bestowal upon others. However, we can be in a “place” where we correct ourselves, and after some time we go outside and return to the world.

The Complete Land of Israel

The complete land of Israel is perfection. It is called Shalom (peace), from the word Shlemut (wholeness/perfection). It means that everything is corrected into love of others, as it is written, “Love your neighbor as yourself; it is a great rule…” There is nothing more than that. This is why the complete land of Israel is a desire that is fully corrected into being Yashar El, toward bonding with others. This point of this portion is to discover the Godliness in it—in connection, in Dvekut (adhesion).