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Orchard of Delights
us to make a move without fully knowing what the ramifications of
such a move might be. The Sages actually suggest that in certain
circumstances a change of physical location actually provides us
with such a new perspective on our lives that it can either motivate
us to change our fate, or, alternatively, that it can cause our fate to
be changed on a metaphysical level (Rosh Hashanah 16). Although
following a well thought out plan should be the ideal way to pursue
what we believe is the Divinely inspired purpose of our lives, in
retrospect, even acting intuitively or out of fear can also turn out to
be, as the verse states, “at the command of God.”
One senses a dynamic pulsating energy in the summary of the
journeys which is dramatically captured by the unique way the
words are chanted during the public Torah reading. The only other
time this unique melody is used is when the Song of the Sea is read
in public. There too the energy is palpable as the Jews have just
escaped from Egypt and seen their pursuers drowned in the Reed
Sea. According to Chassidut, which teaches that the Torah provides
each and every person in every generation with practical instruction,
these forty-two journeys are an archetypal paradigm for every
individual’s life journey. Each person, though, experiences these
journeys in a fashion uniquely adapted to his or her soul and his or
her lifework and purpose.
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh notes the beautiful correspondence
between these forty-two journeys and the forty-two times the
Hebrew root for “love” (ahavah) appears in the five books of Moses.
Furthermore, he notes that these correspond with the forty-two letter
name of God alluded to in the forty-two words of the mystical prayer
“Anna Beko’ach,” composed by the great mystic Rabbi Nechunia ben
Hakanah (Shaarei Ahavah Veratzon, pp. 125-127). The association of
these various sets of forty-two teaches us that each of the journeys in
the desert, as well as each person’s journey through life, takes place
within the overall context of God’s love, despite being filled at times
with obstacles, failures, frustrations, and uncertainty. Knowing
that God’s love for each and every person forms the basic existential
parameters in which we operate has the power to turn obstacles into
challenges, trials into opportunities, and adversity into triumph.
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deVarim םי ִר ָב ְ ּ ד
££££ ££Words from the HeartWords from the HeartWords from the HeartWords from the HeartWords from the HeartWords from the Heart££Words from the HeartWords from the HeartWords from the Heart££
“Words that emanate from the heart – enter the heart” (based on
Berachot 6b). This simple but powerful saying resonates especially
forcefully when applied to the book of Deuteronomy, whose Hebrew
name, Devarim, derives from its opening verse: “These are the words
(devarim) that Moses spoke to all of Israel.” Moses began reciting the
book of Deuteronomy on the first day of the month of Shvat and
according to tradition he died on the seventh of Adar. Therefore, he
transmitted the entire book to the children of Israel in just thirty-
seven days. Alluding to the fact that these words come straight from
Moses’ heart, the numerical value of the Hebrew phrase “the heart”
(halev) is thirty-seven.
As Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh has noted, permuting the letters
of “halev” may produce the following idiom: “hevel halev lahav,”
which means “the vapor of the heart is enflamed.” When the heart
is enflamed and inspired, the “vapor” or energy it produces fulfill the
dictum that “words that emanate from the heart – enter the heart.”
We are taught that the Torah was given in fire, as Mount Sinai was
on fire “until the heart of heaven” (Deuteronomy 4:11). So too, when
we speak words of Torah they should reflect this level of passionate
intensity, which in turn enters the hearts of those listening and
awakens their souls.
Deuteronomy contains not only a summary of Israel’s history
from the moment the nation left Egypt until Moses’ death and a
summary of many of the commandments already given (as well
as many mitzvot that are only introduced in this book) but also a
constant stream of blessings and curses, warnings and rebukes, and
prophetic messages. Had Moses delivered his parting words in a harsh
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