SEDRA KI THAVO-     When was the last time you had a sight or hearing test?

 

In the Sedra of Shemos G-d tries to persuade Moses to undertake the leadership of the Jewish people and to bring them out of Egypt to freedom and to the Promised Land.

After a few arguments against his being chosen Moses then tells G-d  “I am not a man of words” to which G-d replies “ Who makes a mouth for man, or who makes one dumb or deaf or sighted or blind? Is it not I Hashem?”

 

I n this week’s Sedra we find a paradox. When addressing the Jewish people for perhaps the last time Moses reminds them that after forty miraculous years of survival and the conquest of a new land; that all this was achieved through the hand of G-d.

Moses tells the people “But Hashem did not give you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear, until this day.”

What can this mean? In Shemos we have seen G-d’s reply to Moses. Why only now does Hashem give the people the use of their faculties? The truth is although they possessed their faculties, not until now, at this precise moment, was the veil of understanding lifted so that they understood the enormity of what G-d did for them.

Only now could they begin to fully appreciate and understand the great and heavy debt of gratitude and allegiance they owed to Him.

After forty years since leaving Egypt Moses tells the people that G-d will begin to expect  more of them as they awake from their spiritual blindness.

 

In the Haphtorah to Sedra Yisro the prophet Isaiah answers the call to unify the Jewish people after the death of King Uzziah. The inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem during the King’s prosperous reign had become insensitive to G-d and Divine things. They did not miss G-d and therefore were not prepared to seek Him either.

Initially Isaiah’s message regarding the holiness of G-d and His absolute sovereignty over their lives only served to increase their ‘blindness’ and ‘obduracy’ and their unwillingness to repent.

The prophet hears the message from G-d. “Go and say to this to the people, ‘Indeed you hear, but you do not understand, indeed you see, but you do not know. This heart of His people is becoming fat and their ears are becoming heavy and their eyes are becoming sealed.; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and their heart understand, repent and be healed.” The message is clear without repentance they will not be healed.

 

We are all aware of the verse in Hallel (Psalm 115) where it refers to idol worshipers whose idols have a mouth but cannot speak, eyes that cannot see, ears that cannot hear and a nose that cannot smell.

There have been times in our history when rather than return to Hashem the Jewish people have stubbornly closed their eyes, muffled their ears and denied their hearts the knowledge of the wonders of Hashem.

 

The warning that Moses gives the people is that they now stand before Hashem ready to enter the Promised land. He tells them that up until now the ultimate power to see and understand the great kindness of Hashem was not given to them, they were not able to appreciate it. However now they were being given this power and they would be held responsible for their actions, from this time on.

 

In our busy daily lives there are times when are eyes are shut and our ears muffled to the wonders and kindnesses of Hashem towards us.

Always by our side ready to encourage us is the Yetzer- Hara, evil inclination. This unwanted companion thrives on our indiscretions and is only too ready to create within us a sense of ‘shikchah’, forgetfulness that causes us to forget Hashem and His benevolence.

The mitzvah of Bikurim in our Sedra (26:2-5) opens our hearts to understand ‘hakoras hatov’, the appreciation and the gratitude we have toward Hashem.

 

There are things that happen everyday where the hand of G-d is present whether they be ‘bederech l’teva or ‘eyn bederech l’teva; natural happenings or those occurring, hidden outside nature.

 

The month of Ellul gives us the opportunity for a spiritual MOT service. Let us all hope that in the coming year our eyes, ears, and heart will truly become open to the wonders, kindnesses and hand of Hashem in everything we do.

 

I am going to check in for my spiritual check-up. When was the last time you went for one?

 

Wishing you all a peaceful and stimulating Shabbat.  Shabbat Shalom from TTFN.

 

( Part of a regular Thursday shiur at Young Israel of North Netanya Synagogue)