Does the Torah teach us a way of being or a way of becoming? The Parsha this week concerns a time of transition. The Jews have spent many years in the wilderness, now they must prepare to enter the Promised Land.

There is a parallel message to us in the Fast of the Ninth of Ab, which transpires this week.

The presence of this Fast on the Jewish calendar indicates the belief and hope that our current situation, however comfortable it might be on a personal level, is not permanent.

The idea that one's present life-style and general situation are eventually going to change can be quite unsettling. Assuming that we enjoy a certain level of comfort and ease, we long for stability. Some people dream of the capital sum which will provide life-long security (even at very low interest rates!). The problem is that Judaism is in many ways a revolutionary movement, seeking something more! Let us turn a page or two of our history.

G‑d came to Moses in the vision at the Burning Bush and told him to take the Jews out of Egypt. Moses himself had a comfortable life at that time, contemplating spirituality in the Midianite hills. The Jews were unhappy slaves, but judging from their behavior towards Moses when he came to bring them freedom they seemed to prefer to go on suffering rather than take any risks. Both for Moses and for the Jewish people, the Burning Bush signified a turning point, directing both the reluctant leader and his even more reluctant people towards the new things to come.

The Parsha this week is the first in the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). This Book is set in the year before Moses passed away. This last year was a time of intimate talks to his people, giving them the guidance they needed in order to enter the next stage of their existence. They would have to leave behind their unusual life-style, eating Manna from heaven, free from many of the cares of daily life. They would have to be able to face new horizons and new challenges.

In this Parsha and those which follow, Moses gives them a perspective on their recent history. He summarizes the teachings from G‑d and inspires them to a sense of dedication to the ideals of Judaism. In this way he was helping them understand Judaism not just as a way of being, but as a way of becoming.

For our generation, who are at the end of a long journey of another kind, the Fast of the Ninth of Ab comes as a reminder that we too are not static. Our journey through two millennia of exile has led us to a point at which we might well feel very comfortable. There is a temptation to feel thankful to G‑d and ask that nothing should change. Lets just stay here as long as possible!

The Ninth of Ab commemorates the destruction of both Temples. This fast reminds us that according to Jewish teaching, we should want something more than the relative comfort of the present. We pray for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, which will signify genuine world peace and a new epoch of goodness and holiness. Our task as Jews is not just to exist in the relatively relaxed present, but to urge the world forward to become something more: a realm of spiritual beauty and unity, a dwelling for the Divine.

For The Friday Night Shabbat Table
Chabad Research Unit
Published and Copyright
Lubavitch United Kingdom
London, England