5785/2025
At the end of this week’s Parashah, after Moshe goes through some history and Mitzvot with Bnei Yisrael, Moshe gathers the Jews for one final plea. Moshe reminds Bnei Yisrael of all the miracles that they have experienced in the last number of years. From the plagues in Egypt, to Kriyat Yam Suf, the Ma’an, Har Sinai… the list goes on and on. Yet, despite having to have restated all of these miracles, Moshe says: “VeLo Natan LaChem Leiv LaDa’at Ve’Ainyium Lirot Ve’Oznayim LiShmo’ah Ad HaYom HaZeh,” “until this day Hashem has not yet given you a heart to recognize, eyes to see or ears to hear” (Devarim 29:3). Really?! Seeing fiery balls of hail falling on your neighbors houses, but avoiding your own wasn’t enough?! The Jews couldn’t recognize the great miracles of Hashem as they are entering into Eretz Yisrael that Moshe needed to remind them?
Often during the school year, I like to have a Q and A session with my students. I find that this allows them to ask the questions that they have thought about for a while, but yet to find a satisfactory answer. The most common question, or in this case a statement, that I receive is, yes we all know Hashem created the world and believe it to be true, but if we saw miracles like Kriyat Yam Suf or a cloud following us and deflecting arrows being shot our way, then we would REALLY believe in Hashem! Since we don’t live in a time of such open miracles, it’s hard to truly believe in Hashem! Generally when someone asks this question I notice that everyone in the shiur is nodding their heads and everyone is eager to hear the answer.
I mention to the students that they are in good company since this is the question that Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the great Mashgiach of the Mir, asks on our Pasuk. After the shiur feels a confident boost knowing they asked the same question of one of the great Rabbis of yesteryear I ask them a question right back. If we looked outside our backyards and saw an arm pop out of the ground, after freaking out (and maybe passing out), we would see then a head pop out, then a stomach and low and behold a real person jumps out of the ground! Once we verify this isn’t a zombie apocalypse we will scream out to Shamayim that Techiyat HaMaytim has arrived! But, Rav Yerucham would point out, why don’t we have the same excitement and Emunah by seeing a tree? Just imagine eating an apple, taking the tiny seed inside, sticking into the ground and sometime later not only will a tree grow from that tiny seed, but a tree that grows more edible apples! Yes this is nature and the way the world worlds, but this is how Hashem decided the world should work! There is no difference in the eyes of Hashem what is a miracle and what is natural, therefore there should be no difference in our eyes what is miraculous and what is natural! Everything is a miracle! Everything in this world, down to the ability to breath, which we need to do constantly, and yet there is an endless supply of it in the world, should be seen as a miracle from Hashem!
It is very hard to live our lives like that. In fact, right after the Makot, Yetziyat Mitzraim, Kriyat Yam Suf, the war with Amalek, and Har Sinai, we committed the Sin of the Cheit Ha’Egel. It is very difficult for us as humans to take the inspiration of once in a lifetime events and keeping them with us, let alone daily events and growing from them! But, this is the lesson Moshe is teaching us in his final moments.
In Elul the phrase: “HaMelech BaSadeh” (the King is in the field) is constantly used to serve as a reminder that the Yamim Nora’im are coming and we should start to take this time more seriously. But using the lesson of Moshe, maybe we should take this phrase to mean that even in an ordinary field, we can find the Melech, Hashem!
As we enter Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur lets try to find one “natural” thing in the world and recognize that it is Hashem behind it. We can thank Hashem for this thing or use it to praise Him, but nevertheless, we will take these items to build our relationship with Hashem, which is ultimately the goal of these coming days!