D’var Torah for Shabbat, August 17

Va’etchanan

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Mantell

SAN DIEGO — The first word of this week’s parasha, Va’etchanan, means “I pleaded.” Moshe pleaded with Hashem to see the Land of Israel. Hashem heard his pleas, and the answer? “No.”

How many times do we plead, pray, even beg Hashem for an outcome and it doesn’t go the way we wanted, demanded, insisted. The illness continues, the finances dwindle, the job doesn’t work out, or the relationship ends. Hashem hears our pleading, and the answer? “No.”

How can we have a Shabbat Nachamu, of peace and comfort, when we see so many of our prayers are answered, “No”? After all, it isn’t easy to accept our powerlessness over circumstances in life, is it? We whine about how awful it is that we prayed and Hashem “didn’t answer our prayers.” This is, of course, incorrect, since He did answer and His answer was, “No.”

In addition, whining only makes what appears not good in our limited vision, to seem far worse than it is and adds to our misery. Trusting in Hashem, his wisdom, his love for us all, doesn’t come easy. Instead, we often become angry, bitter, abandon and turn away from Him, and in some cases, Judaism entirely.

Seeing the world through a positive lens, thinking with a “positivity bias,” understanding “this, too, is for my good,” recognizing that everything He does is FOR us, not TO us, doesn’t come easy.

Unconditional acceptance, how to accept our humble lives, our disappointing accomplishments, and our unfulfilled dreams is what Moshe is teaching us in this parasha – to find a way to make His will, our own.

In this week’s parasha, we also learn of the Shema, where we are taught, “Hear, O Israel; the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One.” This is followed by “You shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This teaches us of the obligation we have to accept the authority of Hashem over our lives.

Perhaps this relates to what the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, described in defining bitachon. When facing a problem with bitachon, he teaches, one does not see that a problem even exists, since one believes that Hashem does not send us problems, but rather opportunities for our wellbeing.

His directions, His instructions, are for our welfare. What a dignified and peaceful way to lead life, understanding that the tapestry of life is often filled with disappointment yet always accepting His hand in our lives, regardless of the outcome of our plan. This may be the ultimate way to live a full, purposeful life. In the end to see that what we may believe is dissatisfying and thwarting, is indeed in our lives for our gain and growth. This is all the more important during these seven weeks between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashana, when we are all contemplating our spiritual lives, considering a path to self-improvement and becoming better versions of ourselves.

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Dr. Mantell writes a d’var Torah each week for Young Israel of San Diego, where he and his family are members.