Shalom Aleichem,
We commenced this D’var Torah by focusing our attention on the title of this Parashat. The title of this Parashat is titled ‘VA’ETCHANAN’. The Hebrew transliteration “AND I PLEADED”. We are shown in the beginning of this portion the idea of THE CALL being GREATER than the person. The NAVI Moshe Rebenu is pleading with ECHAD concerning his sentence for the mistake of disobedience. Moshe was to SPEAK to the rock , but instead the STRUCK the rock, “Then Moses raised his arm and stuck the rock with his staff twice, abundant water came forth and the assembly and their and their animals drank.” Numbers.20:11. This method no doubt brought about the DESIRED END of causing the entire nation to receive water, but the METHOD was not in harmony with THE Method of the Most High. This idea shows us from the PERSPECTIVE OF MISHKHAN DAVID that there is a RESPONSE TO A TEST/CHALLENGE and also a REACTION TO A TEST/CHALLENGE. On the PATH OF LIFE, that is the ASCENSION into the HIGHER LEVELS OF YOUR SOUL, there is a need for instructions on how to deal with a challenge. This need a brought by a TEACHER that is on the PATH OF LIFE as well, “The Lord will give you meager meager bread and scant water; your Teacher will no longer be hidden behind His garment, and your eyes will behold your Teacher. And your ears will listen [even] to a word spoken from behind you, saying, ‘This is the path; walk in it, whether you go to your right or to your left,’” Isaiah.30:20,21. The NAVI Isaiah reveals to us this idea of a TORAH TEACHER showing the student the method of dealing with testing that are actually sent from G-d in order to aid us and causing us to Ascend. What the teacher will reveal is that there are 613 points in the heart or THOUGHT CONSTRUCTS that need to be corrected. This will be done in a COMMUNITY of people who are undergoing this same correction. The TORAH will be utilized for the purpose of not only reaching the Goal of Creation (To become like G-d), but there are “fine details” in how to deal with each other in a COMMUNITY while on the PATH OF LIFE or heading toward PHYSICAL IMMORTALITY. The Psalmist wrote, “ You will make known to me the path of life, the fullness of joys in Your Presence, the delights that are in Your right hand for eternity.” Psalms. 16:11. This revelation comes from a Teacher of TORAH or a Prophet. In Jewish thought there is no prophets outside of Israel and one of the main reasons is because Israel was given the TORAH or the EITZ CHAIM (The tree of life). Although we had the TORAH for many years it was missing the very thing that caused for those who grasp it to eat from its fruit(LIFE) and that has been the INTERPRETATION OF THE TORAH FROM THE ROOT LANGUAGE or in other words, the ORAL TRANSMISSION that is not written down. This is how Moses was able to sustain a Nation off of his merit (manna), by being in contact with ECHAD (the UPPER FORCES), but mistakes can creep in if we are not careful in or observance of it. In this instance Moses was pleading with G-d, but the way he was going about it was in a RELIGIOUS way, he sought to “change G-d” by praying for mercy to enter into the PROMISE LAND. His prayer didn’t work. This let’s us know something else, that is, although he made a mistake and it’s blatant by the dialogue with him and ECHAD, the Most High still uses him in order to continue in His will, showing that He will use someone even when they are flawed. This shows us that there is no excuse to not be obedient to the servants of ECHAD because of something you don’t like about them, “ Now, O Israel, listen to the decrees and to the ordinances that I teach you to perform, so that you may live,…” Deut. 4:1 This was spoken by a man who he himself was sentenced to die in the wilderness for his shortcomings, yet the nation’s was still to obey. This shows us how POWERFUL the words are that ECHAD has spoken. Even the person who does not make the SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENTS of LIFE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DEATH (if they were a prophet from Israel) they still carried words that Causes LIFE. This is why we are in the SPEAKING WORLD, to master our TONGUES. This was the lesson Moshe Rebenu was to learn. It now becomes the lesson for us in this generation on MASTERING the speaking world or our WORDS. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.