Have
you ever stopped to think about just how much in our lives depends upon (teivos)
words?  Although in theory, we could
manage the basic tasks of  survival
without them, it doesn’t take much imagination to appreciate that without
language we would probably function much as the animals do, but in a less
accomplished fashion, since we lack the instincts and physical prowess that
they were given.   Language is a
repository for human traditions and culture. Each nation uses words that convey
the collective cultural, historical and geographic experiences of its people
and their unique worldview.  These words,
however, are descriptive, but not creative.

(Lashon
Hakodesh) Hebrew is a unique language in that it was the instrument with
which the Creator fashioned the creation. Thus the DNA,
the blueprint, of the created universe, exists within the letters and words of
the (Torah) Five Books of Moses.  
Consequently a word in Lashon Hakodesh not only describes the
subject, it literally creates it and continues to do so.  

When
(Hashem) G-d brought the flood waters to inundate the world, He directed Noach
to build a (teiva) Ark.  In Lashon Hakodesh, “ark” and “word”
are cognates, that is, they are both composed of the same letters.  This is not mere coincidence.  There is a profound spiritual message in that
equivalence.   Sheltered within that
“word-Ark”- were all of the precious letters and words which were going to
ensure the continued physical and most significantly the spiritual survival of
its hand picked human passengers and their ecosystem, the necessary animals,
birds and vegetation that made up their world.

This
“word-Ark” was constructed of certain specific dimensions. The dimensions of
the Ark were (shin)
three hundred (amos) cubits long; (nun) fifty (amos) cubits wide and (lamed)
thirty (amos) cubits high. The three letters, nun, shin and lamed,
which are embedded within these dimensions, form an(rashei teivos)
acronym for the three major motivators of human behavior – the (neshama)
soul, the (seichel) mind, and the (lev) heart. 

These
qualities are expressed through the personalities of the three sons of Noach
whose names were: Shem, Cham and Yafes. 
Shem personifies the (neshama) soul in all of us which ideally is
drawn to the spiritual and dedicated to learning and following the ways of
Hashem.  Cham personifies our (lev)
hearts through which the emotions are expressed.  Yafes personifies our (seichel )intellect whose
cultural and esthetic pursuits should ideally be directed at refining and adorning
a person’s good deeds and Torah study ( as it is written in the Zohar
Chadash Part I  parashas Noach,
36a).

            Like the Ark – words, too, are a vehicle.  They are the repository for our thoughts,
ideas, dreams and hopes.  Just as the Ark had three
dimensions, length, width and height, language has three dimensions.  These dimensions in our verbal expression
provide the means for setting course and direction and maintaining balance and
stability in our lives.   The quality in
language which gives direction to our thoughts is our seichel,
our unique intelligence that assists us in navigating through life’s
challenges.  This attribute is expressed
through the Ark’s
shin amos length. The characteristic of language that provides
stability and guidance is our neshama which endow us with the
spiritual balance that keeps us at an even keel as we face adversity during our
voyage through the seas of this physical world. 
This attribute is expressed though the nun amos width of
the Ark. The
trait in language which provides the emotional coloration, the vitality and
enthusiasm is the lev – our heart.  This attribute is expressed through the lamed
amos height of the Ark.

We
are all well aware of the power of speech which can either build or destroy
worlds.   When Shem, our neshoma, takes
the lead in our lives and focuses us upon the service of Hashem, and Yafes, our
minds which supplies the intellectual support for that endeavor and in
conjunction with Cham, our hearts providing the inspiration, we are able to
produce spiritually empowered  (siach)
speech spelled out in Loshen HaKodesh – the Sin of Sham,
the Yud of Yafes and the Ches of Cham
which becomes the vehicle for the Torah directed communication of ideas that
shapes and sustains the world.

             When Noach emerged from the
Ark, he
offered (korbano) sacrifices, to praise and thank Hashem.  Today, we accomplish this through our words
of (tefilla) prayer.  Indeed, when
we perform the (mitzvos) commandments and make them the primary focus of our
lives, they become the guiding light over all aspects of our neshama,
thereby transforming our siach, speech, into a sincere appeal for our
long awaited (Moshiach) true redeemer.  Moshiach spelled in the order of mem, shin,
yud, ches alludes to the perfection of all mankind through our Mitzvos
guiding our neshamos – Shem – to its fulfillment, then directing
our intellect – Yafes to its fullest potential and thereby guiding our
heart – Cham – to its fullest potential. This will be one of the powers
of healing and rectification that the Moshiach will bring to the world.                                     

                    The curtain rises on Creation, in
Parshas Bereishis, with the Torah’s opening proclamation heralding the beginning
of Hashem’s creation of  the heavens and
the earth. Then, in Parshas Haazinu, as the Torah approaches its yearly cyclic
climax, Moshe Rabbinu,in his eloquent prophetic revelation, proclaims: “Give ear, O heavens,
and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my
teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm
winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass. When I call out
the Name of Hashem, ascribe greatness to our G-d…” (Parashas Haazinu 32:1-3) What is the meaning, intention and message of
these esoteric poetry that seemingly eludes the understanding of our rational
intellect?

Living at a revelatory time of satellite
photographs, moon ‘walks’  and manned
space stations, our  generation, unlike
any that came before, can see this physical world from a new vantage point. The
people of this generation can use this images as well as the vast scientific
breakthroughs of modern technology to come to acknowledge and appreciation of
the breathtaking sweep and scale of creation, thereby becoming awe inspired at
the glory and wonders of its Creator. Or it can take credit for their ‘genius’
in making these discoveries and ignore the Source.

Rashi  informs us: The heavens and earth were called
as witnesses to the  promise Hashem made
to reward us for our good conduct and punish us for our bad deeds. These ‘witnesses’
will not only testify but will actually become the vehicles for actualizing
Divine blessing or (Rachmana litzlan) the opposite. 

The blessing and the curse sent through the agency
of  the heaven and the earth can be
understood not only in meteorological and  ecological forms, but also in psychological
terms. As revealed by the holy Ari Z’L, there are aspects of the ‘heavens’ and the ‘earth’, in each of us. The
heavens – above the transcendent – correspond to the highest levels of human
consciousness, the place from which we develop and direct our focus in
relationship with Hashem and His creation. 
It is from this perception that we form our goals and plans, deciding
what to learn, how to understand it and how to use it to grow. It is attitude
that provides the impetus for disciplined conduct we need to implement our
goals. 

            
The heart, with its mosaic of emotive attributes such as kindness, discipline,
humility and endurance parallels the earth motivating us to implement these
goals.  Therefore, Moshe Rabbeinu  asks Hashem to allow us, the Nation of Israel,
to be able to absorb these teachings like the earth absorbs the rain and the
vegetation absorbs the dew.

These first three pesukim of Haazinu can be
understood as describing the ideal interaction between mind and heart – between
intellect and emotion.  First the “heavens”
— our intellect — need to “give ear”
so that we can focus and concentrate our
respectful attention upon the teacher. Once that is achieved, then the teacher
can ‘speak’ – that is he can be inspired to direct the
Torah’s teachings to the heart of the student 
in  a form  it can 
readily absorb.  When that happens,
the teachings resonate within the student’s very core. 
However,  learning is not complete
until the “storm winds” come, as the Sforno beautifully points out: For the
Talmud Chacham, who can absorb much knowledge, the Torah is like penetrating
rain and like the storm wind from which he benefits greatly. For others who are
less able to engage in the learning process at this intense level, the Torah is
sent like ‘dew and gentle raindrops’ which even in small amounts is still very
beneficial. 

The ‘flashpoint’ for this effort as it plays out
in our lives is perhaps best expressed through the last verse in our pesukim: ‘When I call out the name of
Hashem, ascribe greatness to our G-d.’  The Name
of Hashem represents the Infinite Transcendent Creator.  The name “G-d” is His presence as perceived
through nature. That is to say, the more we connect to the Infinite Creator
through our – tefilla – prayer – the more we reveal His presence in every
aspect of our physical lives.

                                                                                                                                                                                  
Of the normal fears that people
have, one of the most insidious is the fear of failure. ‘What if I don’t
succeed? What if I will be perceived by others and my myself as a failure?” How
do we ask ourselves these questions. They come up in major life decisions all
the time – for example:” Which profession should I enter? Where should I live? To
which school should I send my children?” We usually ask these questions in
trepidation wondering if our choices will lead to success or failure. 

 The Torah clearly
addresses, for us throughout the ages, the prescription for overcoming fear and
doubt when Moshe Rabbinu reassures his disciple Yehoshua saying: (Parshas
Vayeilech 31: 7-8) “Chazak v’ematz,” – “Be strong and courageous!”  Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch explains: “Remain
firm in taking the knowledge of your tasks from the Torah and be strong in
overcoming all obstacles in carrying them out. Firm in principles and strong in
carrying them out are the first demands made on a leader.” This means we need
to put our full trust (strength) in Hashem’s Torah acknowledging that everything
that transpires emanates from His will. Only then can we successfully overcome
all obstacles.

   This Torah section then continues with the
words: “…, for you shall come with this people to the Land that Hashem swore to
give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. Hashem – it is He that goes
before you; He will be with you; He will not release you nor will He forsake
you; do not be afraid and do not be dismayed.”  An obvious question arises when pondering these
pasukim. How, after such assured statement of security that Hashem will cause
them to inherit the Land, go before them, be with them and not forsake them, is
there any room for possible fear or dismay?

 Perhaps the
Torah here is teaching us all a deep psychological   insight about human nature that even
substantive intellectual knowledge will not automatically eliminate fear and
anxiety. Therefore, the Torah directs us to be strong in following its
teachings and courageous in fulfilling it, in that case Hashem promises us that
He will be with us; He will not let go of us, nor will He forsake us. This foundational
paradigm should serve as a pillar of idealism to all of us that in any task that
we are assigned in life, we will be able to approach it fearlessly and
courageously putting all our trust in Hashem.

            Let us now continue to highlight some unusual
words or phrases in-order to bring us to a higher awareness of how these
pasukim can also apply to us in our lives.

                   The first question
is why the Torah begins with the word     
 Vayikra – And Moseh summoned
Yehoshua, rather than simply saying Moseh said to Yehoshua before the eyes of
all Israel¼? To this we will bring a comment from the Ramban on the first word of
Parshas Vayikra. ‘After the Mishkan had been completed as the dwelling for the
(Shechinah) Divine radiance, Moseh Rabbanu was fearful to enter it due to the
its holiness; therefore Hashem called out to Moseh to reassure him that the
Mishkan had been made to benefit them through their entering and doing the
proper (avoda) service’. So perhaps we can say that the choice of the word Vayikra
here too was to reassure Yehoshua that his active role in leading the nation
was desired by Hashem. 

              Let us now ask what
is the difference in meaning between the words 
Chazak V’Amatz – be strong and courageous? Strength is a great
virtue but when it stands alone it can be kept at a level of confinement only
being used as a protective attribute. Courageous on the other hand is a
proactive (meda) attribute but doesn’t necessarily contain within itself the
quality of strength; therefore Moshe blessed to Yehoshua to be able to unite
both these qualities so as to be successful in his duties as leader of the
Jewish nation.

           The Torah’s declares that not only
will we be successful if we follow the Torah, but ‘Hashem will cause us to
inherit it; it is He that goes before us; He will be with us; He will not
release us or forsake us’. We can see this as a reassurance to all of us, that
if we listen and adhere correctly to the will of Hashem, he will lead and guide
us through our challenges in life.

          There is also another
profound thought woven in these words of the Torah. If Hashem leads us and
assures us that we will conquer all our enemies, then what are we actually
doing? To this the Torah tells us to be strong – in following the Torah
and courageous – in overcoming our inner personal fears, anxieties and
doubts. That is to say that the strength and courage that the Torah is
referring to is in cultivating the proper (emuna) faith and (betokanan) belief
in Hashem. This means realizing, that on our own the nations of the world and
natural cause and effect would swallow us up, but by being attached to Hashem
through the Torah, He will fight our battles, making us successful.

          At the end of the
Parsha (in pusack 23): Hashem commands Yehoshua ben Nun through Moshe saying:
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the children of Israel to the
land that I have sworn to them, and I will be with you.” In the Sifri on Sefer
Yehoshua 7:10 it is Yehoshua leadership that will cause them to inherit the
land, which seems to mean that only if Yehoshua will go before them will they
will succeed. The obvious question is why should the success of conquering and
inheriting the land be so dependant on Yehoshua? If he failed to fulfill his
duties, Hashem could simply replace him with another and yet the commentators
imply that he is irreplaceable.

            This question we will
answer with an extremely powerful lesson in ones personal obligation in life.
In the mention of Yehoshua’s specific unique role in conquering and inheriting
the land in Parsha Va’eschanen chpt. 3 pasukim 25 – 28, Parsha Vayeilech chpt.
31 pasukim 7 – 8  and in Sefer Yehoshua
chpt. 7 pasuk 10 the commentators say that Yehoshua’s personal initiative was
absolutely necessary and that if he relied on others to do the job, he would
not have Divine assistance.                              This declaration of personal
obligation is something that we all can gain tremendous value from. Each one of
us has been brought into this world to fulfill a unique purpose therefore it
behooves us to