"These are the journeys of the children of Israel"
(Numbers 33:1)
Tammuz 27, 5771/July 29, 2011
Cheshbon nefesh, literally, "accounting of the soul," or as we say in English, stocktakingor soul searching, is an essential component of the spiritual and ethical life that Torah sets out before us. In fact, it is of such a high priority that it is G-d Himself who instructs Moses to record Israel's desert peregrinations: "Moses recorded their starting points for their journeys according to the word of HaShem, and these were their journeys with their starting points." (ibid 33:2) It would seem from the words of our sages, that G-dwanted Israel to possess in its hand a condensed, shorthand log of the forty-two separate journeys that made up her forty year sojourn out of Egypt and into the land of Israel.
The Torah verses recalling the forty-two journeys are read in synagogue without pausing between verses, in order to emphasize the organic unity of Israel's wilderness experience. Implied by this unity is the understanding that every journey of spiritual growth and transformation, great or small, is in fact, an uninterrupted series of smaller journeys which together make up the whole. The deliberate listing of all forty-two journeys along the way testifies to the fact that spiritual progression in life is not necessarily, (or perhaps, necessarily not), a sequence of forward and ever rising steps along the way. On the contrary, Moses' list of Israel's journeys mentions even those locations along the way where Israel sorely tested G-d's patience, as well as the encampments in which Israel's praise and closeness to G-d was unassailable. Stocktaking, in order to be an effective tool for spiritual growth, has to reflect also upon such painful and even shameful stations along the way.
No doubt, each of the individual forty-two spiritual journeys of Israel could themselves be perceived as comprising forty-two internal steps of their own. Just like atoms can be divided and sub-divided into smaller and smaller components, each essential to the fully realized end result, we should also understand that our own spiritual growth is an ever evolving succession of movement, sometimes forward, sometimes, backward, sometimes baby steps and sometimes great leaps and bounds. Yet each step along the way is essential. Just as one of the eleven essential components of the ketoret incense of the Holy Temple is the foul smelling Galbanum, so too, our own personal foibles are ultimately intended to serve as necessary components of our entire spiritual makeup.
On the other hand, excessive introspection itself can be a hindrance not only to our spiritual growth throughout life, but also to our day-to-day engagement in life. After all and above all, Torah teaches us to take up the challenge of each day as it comes, and to be fully engaged in a life of of action - a life of fulfilling commandments. This may be one reason why G-d instructed Moses to condense Israel's entire desert experience into forty-nine succinct verses. This shortened version of our emergence from enslavement to a life exalted by the presence of G-d, and all the personal and national responsibility required therein, can be easily referenced throughout our busy days. Perhaps it is something that should be written down and kept in our breast pocket, or on the wall near the entrance to our home. The verses certainly could be recited as a prayer or meditation, the effect of which would be not merely to reflect upon what was, but to encourage constant spiritual growth.
In this week's Torah reading of Masei, we conclude simultaneously, the book of Numbers and Israel's stay in the desert. The fifth and final book of Torah, Deuteronomy, will continue with Masei's theme of refection and stocktaking, as well as encouragement and preparation for the next stage in Israel's journey - entering the land of Israel. It is important to note that every verse of our travelogue employs an identical phrasing:"They journeyed from... and the camped in." Each movement worthy of the name journey begins with a starting point and concludes with an end point. We often say that it's the journey itself that counts, and there is truth in this, but only partially. Going from nowhere to nowhere, however distant or close that may be, does not, a journey make. At least not in the eyes of Torah and certainly not for the purpose of soul searching. We're not just posting digital photographs on our travel blog to share with our friends back home. Only when we can positively identify both our starting points and our end points can we understand and appreciate the spiritual progress we have made.
Today, after many, (seemingly endless), sojourns in exile, Israel, after 2000 years has returned to her land and to her capital Jerusalem. This monumental leap from exile to redemption was preceded by and followed by many incremental steps along the way, each as important and essential as the next. Today, especially today, in the midst of the three weeks of introspection and stocktaking which mark the anniversary of the destruction of both the first and second Holy Temple, we need to absorb the lesson of Israel's forty-two desert journeys. Rather than passively await the trumpet blasts that will awaken us to our next great journey, that of rebuilding the Holy Temple and renewing the Divine service, we need to understand that to get from here to there we need to always be moving forward. Many small journeys, baby steps, if you will, are what will complete the journey. The wilderness separating servitude from freedom, exile from redemption wasn't crossed in a single stride. To borrow a phrase from our ancient nemesis, the Holy Temple will not be built in a day. But today we must begin, so that tomorrow we can complete the journey. |
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 Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as we find Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven in a most buoyant mood, as they ponder this: Have you ever lost a quarter down the gutter? You can see it down there but it's just beyond your reach, (sigh). Easy come, easy go. But if it was your wife's golden earring, or, G-d forbid, her wedding band, you would be beside yourself. Imagine how the High Priest felt when he realized that one of the seventy two golden bells which lined the hem of his techelet blue tunic just dropped off and fell into the City of David sewer system. Did he receive a stern reprimand from his wife? Did he engage in somber soul searching? We can never know for sure, but one thing is for certain: Losers weepers, finders keepers. The recently discovered golden bell, which might have once belonged to a 1st century CE High Priest, is now ours for the keeping! Is this historic find a tap on the shoulder from the Almighty? Here in the middle of the three weeks of mourning for the loss of the Holy Temple, is G-d using this bell to wake us up from our two thousand year slumber? Is it time to rebuild the Holy Temple? |
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 A Voice Message from the Holy Temple: Archaeological remnants of the Holy Temple have been discovered in the past. But never in the history of two thousand years have we ever been able to gain a glimpse into what the Holy Temple may have sounded like! The "small still sound" of this tiny but exquisitely beautiful golden bell, which may have originally been one of the seventy two golden bells which, along with woven pomegranates, lined the hem of the meil techelet - blue tunic - of the High Priest - calls out to us all the way from the Holy of Holies, into which entered the Kohen Gadol - High Priest - one day of the year - Yom Kippur! This gentle blast from the past comes during these three weeks of solemn remembrance of the Holy Temple to remind us of the sublime beauty and purpose that is missing from our lives without the Holy Temple, and to rouse us from our slumber. Listen carefully to the chiming of the bell. It is urging us: "Build me, build me, build me, build me, build me, build me..." Click here to read about this breathtaking discovery and to hear the jingle jangle of the High Priest as he walks again the ancient streets of Jerusalem! |
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 This week's Bat Melech teaching by Rena Richman, is entitled, "The Women of the Desert, Part I : The women of the desert and the feminine spiritual energy, strength and determination that they were able to tap into and channel enabled them to shepherd the entire generation out of the holocaust of Egypt, throughout the forty years of the wilderness experience, and ultimately into the land of Israel." This teaching was originally recorded in Dallas, Texas, and is being presented in four parts. Click here to view. |
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 This week's Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, is entitled, "The Cult of Tragedy, Part I & II : The month of Tammuz has been marked for the past two thousand years of Jewish history by weeping and mourning for the Holy Temple. Is our mourning constructive, ultimately empowering us to rise up from off the floor and rebuild the Holy Temple, as our sages originally intended it to be, or have we fallen into the tragedy trap of mourning for the sake of mourning? Rabbi Richman explores the ancient world's celebration of the cult of weeping, and Torah's age old battle against the victory of defeat." Clickhere to view. |
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 Renegade Hearts: "The first time I realized it was when my brother-in-law died tragically and unexpectedly a few days before his daughter was born. I realized that I would never be 100% happy again. How could I be, knowing my brother-in-law’s wife, son, and daughter would always bear the pain of his death? I knew even in the happiest moments of my life, a corner of my heart would be sad for what was now so sorely missing in the world." Please clickhere to read a powerful statement written by a righteous Gentile, an eloquent testimony to the innate longing of every human being for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the restoration of G-d's presence in His Holy House. |
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 The Month Of Tammuz: See and Say Only Good Things about the Land of Israel: The ill-fated spies, (Numbers 13:1) sent by Moses to spy out the land of Israel and report back to the nation on what they saw, left the desert encampment on the final day of the month of Sivan. They spent the entire month ofTammuz in the land of Israel and returned to the desert encampment on the ninth day of the following month ofAv. They spent a total of forty days in the land of Israel, and as a price for the ill words they spoke of her, the entire nation was to spend forty years in their desert exile. The 9th of Av, the day they delivered their evil report, was to become a day of mourning for all generations. It is the day that the first and second Holy Temples were destroyed.
It is our responsibility to reverse the opprobrium thus assigned to the month of Tammuzby being certain to see and to say only good things about the land of Israel each and every day of the month. Therefore, every day of the month of Tammuz we will be posting positive words and pictures of the land of Israel. Click here.
Your positive words are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page! |
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 42 journeys through the wilderness of life, and a box of scented letters: a love story. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's short teaching on parashat Masei (Numbers 33:1-36:13). |
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Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem, Yitzchak Reuven The Temple Institute
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Help us build the future.
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THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE PO Box 31876 Jerusalem, Israel 97500 |
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