To Be United – Why?
Shalom dear students and friends,
Orly and I just returned from our visit in Australia, attending the ZFA conference in Melbourne, where we were invited to make our small contribution by presenting and lecturing on several topics related to Hebrew, differentiated learning and to Rabbi Nachman’s less known fascinating stories.
We also had the privilege to meet with the leaders of the lovely, warm and welcoming local Jewish community, and with school principals, educators and teachers.
We were extremely happy to meet some of our past and present Australian students.
We stopped for a few days in Hong Kong, where we met with the Israeli consul, and in Singapore where we met with the Israeli ambassador, as well as with some of our students and their friends, who expressed love for Hebrew and Israel.
We indeed found there a growing audience of people who want to get to know Israel closer and learn Hebrew as a bridge for that purpose.
In the meantime, at home we had a very lovely group of Jewish educators from the Pardes institute.
They graduated today and spoke highly of their achievements at Ulpan-Or.
Here are a few excerpts from what they wrote:
“…This is the third time I have taken an Ulpan course, my first with Ulpan Or. This is the only Ulpan that has “stuck” and I am really amazed! Thank you.”
“…Incredible improvement for 3 weeks!”
“..This experience went way beyond classroom learning…”
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This Shabbat we will read the Torah Portion “Ki Te’tzeh” in the book of “D’Varim”.
This Torah portion includes 74 of the total of 613 commandments included in the five books of Torah.
Among those it includes:
· Inheritance rights of the firstborn
· Burial and dignity of the dead
· Returning a lost object
· Sending away the mother bird before taking her young
· Duty to erect a safety fence around the roof of one’s home
· Duty to pay a worker on time, and to allow anyone working for you—man or animal—to “eat on the job”
· Proper treatment of a debtor
It concludes with the obligation:
Remember what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt.
Our portion starts with the following verse:
כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ ה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and God your God will deliver them into your hands.” (21:10)
Our Sages noticed that in this verse it is written “when you (sg.) go out” in the singular.
In Hebrew we have a distinction between singular and plural forms related to verbs.
It says KI TE’TZEH (sg.) and not KI TE’TZOO (pl.)
Therefore, one needs to learn from here that it is possible to beat the enemies only when the nation of Israel is united becoming “one person”.
Similarly we can find in Exodus (19:2)
וַיִּחַן-שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל, נֶגֶד הָהָר
…and there Israel encamped before the mount.
The verb encamped appears in singular – ויחן (Va’yikhan)
and not in plural – ויחנו (Va’Yakhanu)
From this our sages conclude that the children of Israel were united when they came to mount Sinai and therefore were worthy of receiving the Torah.
Even in the time of King Achav (Ahab) when everyone was idol-worshippers, they would win in the wars because they were united.
Rebbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk would say:
The Torah wrote:
“When you go out to war against your enemies” in order to teach us that we need to go out to war and to strike the enemy on his own land.
And so too, one needs to fight against the evil inclination.
One needs to go out to war against him to distance him from your border and not to let him come close.
And now a little bit of Hebrew:
Let’s take a look at the Hebrew root אחד representing unity.
This word appears, of course in the most famous verse in the Jewish tradition, manifesting G-d’s unity:
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה’ אֶחָד
Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one
- One – אחד – ‘EKHAD’
- One on One – אחד על אחד – ‘EKHAD AL EKHAD’
-
Hypocrisy – Say one thing and think another, – אחד בפה ואחד בלב – ‘EKHAD BA’PEH VE’EKHAD BA’LEV’
(Lit. One thing in the mouth, while another one – in the heart). - United – מאוחד– ‘ME’UKHAD’ (Derived from the same root – אחד – one)
- Uniform– אחיד – ‘AKHID’
- To unite – לאחד – ‘LE’AKHED’
* Interesting fact:
The numerical value (Gematria) of the word אחד (One) is 13 (1+8+4=13) – the same as of the word אהבה – ‘AHAVAH’ – Love. (1+5+2+5=13)
Shabbat Shalom
Yoel & Orly
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