Parshas Devarim.
Question.
A careful reader can notice that the book of Devarim is somewhat different from the first four books of the Chumash. What are these differences and what is the general structure of this book?
Answer:
In general, the book of Devarim is a projection of the entire Torah[1]. It covers the last month and seven days of Moshe’s life. During this time, he chastised our people, reviewed the Torah’s commandments with them, predicted their future and, at the end he blessed them. Thus, the book[2] can naturally be divided into four[3] parts. The first three weekly readings have to do with the past. Moshe was reprimanding our nation for its sins. The next three Parshiyos are completely dedicated to mitzvos. The following three weekly portions deal with predictions of the future. The last Parsha is Moshe’s blessing of the twelve tribes, each according to its spiritual root. This general division corresponds perfectly to the general division of the Sefiros. The first nine Sefiros are also divided into three groups of three[4].
The Vilna Gaon wrote that these ten Parshiyos hint to what would happen throughout the last one thousand years of history[5]. This way, the last book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) predicts the history of the sixth millennia and every century is hinted to by one parsha. The Vilna Gaon[6] also explains that the spiritual root of the ten Torah portions of Devarim is in ten Sefiros[7] of the world of Asya. This is the lowest of the spiritual worlds and it is a projection of the worlds above it, just as the fifth book of Torah is a projection of the books before. Thus, to better understand the history of the ten centuries, we will be studying its’ spiritual root as well.
After this introduction, the general order of the book of Devarim becomes clear. The first three chapters have to do with the first three Sefiros, and they are mostly dedicated to our past history. Even though there are some mitzvos in VaEschanan and Ekev, these mitzvos mostly have to do with strengthening our Emuna – faith. The next three portions are completely dedicated to describing the detailed commandments of the Torah and correspond to the Sefiros that have to do with the present. We will later see that a tremendous rise of Torah learning happened in the period of time corresponding to these chapters. The following three Parshiyos describe the predictions of the future and correspond to the Sefiros that have to do with the future. In these chapters, our deviation from Torah is predicted, as well as our punishment and the return to Judaism – the Baaley Tshuva movement. At last, the blessings of the tribes correspond to Malchus – for this Sefira shows our readiness to receive the Divine blessing, and it is also the source of the Jewish souls. Let us now delve a bit further into each Parsha and its’ corresponding century. According to the Gaon’s arrangement we have the following correspondence:
|
Parsha |
Sefira |
Jewish years |
Secular years |
|
Devarim |
Keser |
5000-5100 |
1240-1340 |
|
Vaeschanan |
Chochma |
5100-5200 |
1340-1440 |
|
Ekev |
Bina |
5200-5300 |
1440-1540 |
|
Ree |
Chesed |
5300-5400 |
1540-1640 |
|
Shoftim |
Gevurah |
5400-5500 |
1640-1740 |
|
Ki Setze |
Tiferes |
5500-5600 |
1740-1840 |
|
Ki Savo |
Netzach |
5600-5700 |
1840-1940 |
|
Nitzavim-Vayelech |
Hod |
5700-5800 |
1940-2040 |
|
Haazinu |
Yesod |
5800-5900 |
2040-2140 |
|
VeZos HaBracha |
Malchus |
5900-6000 |
2140-2240 |
Parshas Devarim.
This chapter is an introduction to the whole book. Just as Kabala teaches us,
Keser is the Sefira that connects each world with the world above it. It is
thus taught that the Malchus of the higher world becomes the Keser of the world
below. Thus, this Parsha summarizes everything that happened until now and
introduces us to what will be discussed in the book.
From a historical point of view, two fundamental books saw light in this century – the Tur and the Zohar. The author of the Tur, Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, summarized all the works of the Rishonim before him, producing a unique compendium which describes all the laws that apply to us. Centuries later, Rabbi Yosef Karo used this work as the basis for his Shulchan Aruch. Therefore, most of the halachic works we have today are completely based on the Shulchan Aruch and the Tur. Certainly, the Tur can be considered the root of all other works of halacha, corresponding perfectly to Sefiras Keser.
The Zohar was also rediscovered during this century. After being hidden for generations, it became the root of all subsequent writings of Kabala. Interestingly, the other principal Kabalistic writings of Ramban and his students were also composed in this century.
Parshas VaEschanan.
In general, the sages of the past one thousand years are divided into Rishonim
(early ones) and Acharonim (the last ones). Usually, the exile of Spanish Jewry
is considered the splitting point. According to this, the Rishonim continued
their activity in the time corresponding to the first three Sefiros. In
general, all of the first three Sefiros are hidden and so is the activity of
most sages of the time. Some of the known writings of this Parsha’s period
include the Maharil’s compilation of our customs and his answers to halachic
inquiries.
Parshas Ekev.
This is the last of the Torah portions in the first group of three. In many ways, it is similar to the previous one just as Chochma is similar to Bina. It is known, that in every group of three Sefiros there is right, left and middle. The right side is that of kindness, while the left is of judgment. Thus, in this group, Bina is from the left side. Even so, the judgment that comes from this Sefira is not as severe as from Gevura and Hod, because this Sefira is included the first three, where in general there is much mercy.
This Parsha warns us that when we build nice houses and multiply our possessions we should not forget Hashem. If we forget about the Creator, we will be destroyed.
The most important historic event in this Parsha is the exile of Spanish Jews. The rabbis of the time wrote that this punishment came about due to the comfort in which our people lived. As opposed to German and French Jews who were accustomed to anti-Semitism, the Spanish Jews lived in a golden country. Their beautiful houses and their wealth caused the envy of their gentile neighbors, which encouraged their hostility. Interestingly, once faced with the choice of exile or conversion, the majority of Spanish Jews chose the latter. With the Spanish exile a whole chapter in Jewish history as well as the Divine rule through the first three Sefiros ended.
Parshas Ree.
This is the first chapter dealing
with practical commandments. It corresponds to Sefiras Chesed – the kindness of
Hashem. In this period of time, both the teaching of open Torah as well as the
teaching of Kabala flourished. During this century, Rabbi Yosef Karo wrote the
main code of Jewish law and Rabbi Moshe Isserles added a gloss to it. Also, at
this time lived the greatest Kabalist – the Arizal. All later writings of
Kabala and Chassidus are based on his teachings. It is worth noting that this
weekly portion also deals with the laws applicable to the
Another interesting observation is that this weekly portion warns us not to listen to an idolatrous false prophet. Other laws of false prophets are discussed in the next Parsha as well. The false prophet mentioned here may be Nostradamus. This man, a descendent of Jewish converts to Christianity, still fascinates many Non-Jews by his “predictions”.
Parshas Shoftim.
Here, the Torah continues discussing many commandments. This portion
corresponds to Gevurah – the Sefira of Divine judgment. Thus, the name of this
Parsha is Shoftim – judges. Regarding the study of the Torah, many major
commentators on the Shulchan Aruch
lived in this century. Concerning
the books on Kabala, the most famous ones written in this period are
from Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. His own life however was quite sad; he spent a
long time in exile and died at young age. The tribulations of his life fully correspond
to the attribute of this century.
Regarding the general history of our people, terrible tragedies happened in this time period, for whole Jewish communities were destroyed during the Chmelnitzky massacres.
Our weekly portion also discusses the false prophets. Indeed, one of the most famous false Messiahs in our history, Shabbatai Tzvi, lived during this time. The damage this man brought was certainly enormous. Most of our nation was fooled by him, and when he converted to Islam, many followed suit. Some of his followers continued to believe he is Moshiach even after his conversion. These people plagued our nation for a long time afterwards.
Another infamous person who lived during this century was Baruch Spinoza. At first glance, one might find it too far fetched to call this man a false prophet, however after some analysis this becomes quite plausible. It is known, that for centuries most of our people were religiously observant. Those who did not want to keep the commandments usually converted to other faiths, but the people who called themselves Jews always followed the Torah. Baruch Spinoza became a representative of a new phenomenon – that of the irreligious Jew. On the one hand, he did not formally convert to another faith. On the other hand, he abandoned the ancient traditions our nation faithfully preserved and invented his own “principles of faith”. Later, there would be many such people, but he was the first and therefore his blame is greater.
Parshas Ki Setze.
More commandments are described in this Parsha than in any other, for this is
the main portion of the Torah, corresponding to the Sefira of Tiferes. It is
impossible to overestimate the development of Torah learning in this century.
We will describe only a few of the leading sages.
The Vilna Gaon lived in this period. Interestingly, he found a hint to his name in this Parsha, in the words “Even Shleima”. He and his students wrote hundreds of books on all topics of open and hidden aspects of Torah. Afterwards, many more books were based on the Gaon’s writings. Thus, for example, the Chofetz Chaim based his main halachic decisions in Sefer Mishna Berura on the opinion of the Vilna Gaon.
Chassidus developed in this century. Most of the main leaders that put down the foundations of this movement lived in the one hundred years corresponding to this Parsha. Thus, the founder of Chassidus, the Baal Shem Tov, died 40 years into this century. Some of the major Rebbis that lived at this time include Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Lyadi (the founder of Chabad), Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum (founder of Satmar and other dynasties) and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
Rabbi Yechezkel Landau (the Node BeYehuda), Rabbi Akiva Eiger and Rabbi Moshe Sofer (the Chasam Sofer) also lived in this century. The Chasam Sofer was able to establish a world famous yeshivah, where most of the prominent Hungarian rabbis learned.
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, the greatest student of the Vilna Gaon established the world famous Volozhin Yeshiva. This yeshivah served as a model for all subsequent Lithuanian yeshivas.
Regarding the great Sefardi
rabbis, two of the most famous ones lived during this century – the Chida and
the Rashash. The Chida (Rabbi Chaim Yosef
Parshas Ki Savo.
It is important to mention here, that in the realm of Divine rule, the two Sefiros, Netzach and Hod, work together. Thus, for example, in the human body they correspond to the two legs. As opposed to the hands, each of which can function independently, the legs of a person are used jointly. Thus, the two weekly readings: Ki Savo and Nitzavim with Vayelech are joined into one complete whole, for Nitzavim is simply a continuation of Ki Savo, as we will see later.
Interestingly, the book of Zohar predicts tremendous scientific progress starting with the beginning of Ki Savo (year 5600, 1840 by the secular calendar). The Zohar claims this progress will prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach. Note, that according to Kabala, the Sefiros starting with Netzach are all connected directly to Malchus, thus, from the century of Netzach starts the preparation for Melech Hamoshiach – the kingship of Messiah. Interestingly, according to the writings of Arizal, the top of Malchus actually reaches up to the previous Sefira – Tiferes. This agrees with the traditions of the GR”A[8] and of Chasam Sofer[9], that the preparations for the coming of Moshiach already began in year 5500.
Even though Netzach is related to the right side, while Hod – to the left, the
influence of the two Sefiros is mixed as we mentioned. Thus, it is taught that
the end of Netzach is connected to Hod and judgment flows from it. While the
beginning of Ki Savo is quite happy, it ends with curses and punishments.
Nitzavim continues with more curses and then speaks about our coming back to
the observance of the commandments.
Now, the beginning of Ki Savo
discusses the new fruits that we will gather from the land given to us as
eternal inheritance. Interestingly, at this time period some settlements were
founded in the
Towards the middle of the Parsha, the Torah describes eleven curses for those who do not keep various commandments. The curses are concluded by the words: “Cursed is the man that will not uphold the words of this Torah”. The entire second half of the Parsha is devoted to the terrible curses that will befall our nation if we don’t observe the commandments. This portion of the Torah is read quietly – for these are the sad words of rebuke.
Speaking from historic
perspective, it is well known that the majority of the Jewish people abandoned
the observance of the commandments during this century. By the time of World
War II, most of our nation did not keep the mitzvahs. The fast momentum at
which the Jewish people were going astray was astonishing. Together with the
going away, the punishments started befalling us. On the saddest day of our year
– the Ninth of Av, World War I started. The Russian revolution, pogroms in
Parshas Nitzavim and Vayelech.
Terrible curses continue being
described in the beginning of this Parsha. Such expressions as “Sulfur and salt
burned all the soil … like the destruction of
After the terrible curses are
described, the Torah predicts our return to Hashem and renewal of the
observance of the commandments. This passage
is speaking to our generation. In the previous generations some people left
traditional Judaism, and their descendants continued the downhill slide and
assimilated even further. The concept of return to Torah observance was
virtually unknown. In our day this is quite common. People who were born into
families with completely irreligious backgrounds have come back to Orthodox
Judaism and they often succeed in bringing their parents along with them.
Parshas Haazinu.
This Parsha is called a small Torah, so as Yesod is the projection of the other
Sefiros. Indeed the very commandment to write the Sefer Torah is learned from
this Parsha. Based on the verses in this short Parsha, we can judge that the
events will greatly speed up once we reach the next century. This weekly
portion also contains a severe warning should we not listen to Hashem.
Parshas VeZos HaBracha.
The blessings of the twelve
Jewish tribes contained in the Parsha correspond to Malchus, for this Sefira
shows our readiness to receive Divine blessing. It is this Sefira from which
the Jewish souls descend. It certainly seems that this weekly portion hints to
the times of Moshiach, corresponding perfectly to the kingship that this Sefira
represents. However, it is our belief that Moshiach could come in any
generation if we deserve. According to the Vilna Gaon[10],
Moshiach ben Yosef will come earlier if we are worthy. Just as Shaul ruled over
our people before
[1] See Rabeynu Bachye, Devarim 1:1. See also Ohr HaChaim Hakodesh, Devarim 1:1 and Ohr Bahir there. The Maggid of Dubno writes in the name of the GR”A that until now Moshe was speaking to the Jewish people while receiving Divine prophesy simultaneously, while this book describes, the prophesies of Moshe that he related to the people at a later time, after he already received them from Hashem. See also Talmud, Brochos 21b and Maharitz Chiyus there.
[2] The book of Devarim has 10 Parshios. Note, that Nitzavim and Vayelech count as one Parsha. When there are two Shabbosim between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkos, we split them; however they are generally considered one Parsha. Thus, there are 53 Parshiyos in the Torah, like the gematria of the word “Gan” – garden. If we were to consider Nitzavim and Vayelech separately, we would have a total of 54 Parshiyos.
[3] In reality the fourth part can be considered together with the third. Thus, the three parts of Devarim are a perfect projection of the other books of the Chumash. Bereyshis is the root of the Torah, while Shemos, Vayikra and Bemidbar correspond to the three parts of Devarim (see GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, Devarim 1:1).
[4] These groups also correspond to the three levels of
the soul – Neshama, Ruach and Nefesh, as well as to the three times – past,
present and future, and to the three levels of the body. Thus, the first three
Sefiros correspond to the Neshama, to the past tense and to the head. In
general, all Neshamos were created in the beginning, and one can’t change them
or damage them. Our actions only affect the levels below Neshama. The Neshama
itself simply leaves a person at the time of sin. This is also the explanation
of Kares – the spiritual incision. The lower levels of the soul are cut off
from Neshama. The next level – Ruach – corresponds to present tense and to the
middle level of the body. We breathe through our lungs, and indeed the meaning
of the word Ruach is wind. The lowest level – Nefesh – corresponds to the
lowest part of the body, below the diaphragm. Our qualities come from this part
of the soul. It has to do with the future tense and we have to work on it all
our lives. It is thus taught that Ruach is riding on top of the Nefesh, like a
rider on a horse. Some people have a hard time taming their “horse,” for they are
born with many bad qualities, but if they succeed in the end, their reward is
very great. Similarly, our
[5] We will try to evaluate this statement of the Gaon
and understand the history accordingly. We certainly do not assume the
knowledge of all of the hints. Everybody who studied the Talmud knows full well
that we sometimes don’t know answers to even much simpler questions. Even the
great sages often end their commentaries with the words “Tzarich Iyun” – this
needs further examination. The written Torah as well as the Talmud and the book
of Zohar predict many elements of our history. However, the statement of the
Gaon shines additional light on it.
[6] In his introduction to Tikuney Zohar.
[7] In general, Sefiros can be viewed as parts of Divine
will or as ways of Hanhaga – Hashem’s rule over the universe. There are ten
such ways. Everything in the spiritual and physical realms is a result and
projection of some combination of the ten Sefiros. Just as all physical
materials with their great variety are composed of just a little more that one
hundred elements, so too, is everything spiritual, a combination of these ten
general spiritual roots. The names of the Sefiros are:
Keser – Crown, Chochma – Wisdom, Bina – Understanding,
Chesed – Kindness, Gevurah – Strength, Tiferes – Harmony, Netzach –
Perseverance, Hod – Splendor, Yesod – Foundation, Malchus
– Royalty.
The projections of these Sefiros are in everything including the human body.
[8] In his commentary to the fifth chapter of Sifra Detzniusa.
[9] In his tshuva 62 in the second volume of Choshen Mishpat.
[10] In his commentary to the first chapter of Sifra Detzniusa.