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By Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim, Kfar Chabad, Israel

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This Shabbat we read the first portion in the book of Deuteronomy where Moses, reprimands the Jews for all the sins they did during the previous 40 years of wandering in the desert.

But at first glance this is not understood.

The word ‘Torah’ means practical teaching. What importance does Moses’ rebuke to Jews that sinned over 3,300 years ago have to do with us?? Why not just let bygones be bygones?

And why did Moses chastise the Jews before they entered Israel? Wouldn’t this have a negative effect? Why not just praise and inspire them?

Maybe we can say that this seemingly negative message is appropriate to this Shabbat which precedes “Tisha (the 9th) of Av” the saddest date in Judaism when we mourn the destructions of the First and Second Temples due to our sins.

But, in fact this Shabbat also has a very positive side to it. It is called Shabbat ‘Chazon’ (Vision) because we read a HafTorah called Chazon Yeshayhu (1:1) which promises the gathering of the Jews, and, as Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Braditchiv explained, gives us a ‘vision’ (Chazon) of the Third Temple that Moshiach will ‘build’.

The word ‘Torah’ means ‘teaching’.  What do all these details come to teach us?

To understand this, here is a story. (HaGeula weekly page #524)

In 2008, Greece was not a good place to be. Angry, violent mobs with grievances to the government set to the streets, destroyed property, set fires, rioted, battled the police and bedlam reigned.

Vacationers shunned the place, trips, hotel reservations and plane tickets were cancelled but for Rabbi Yoel Kaplan, the Chabad Representative in Salonika Greece it was just another challenge.

Rabbi Kaplan thrived on the unusual. His Chabad House/home, like all the hundreds of Chabad Houses throughout the world, was open to the public 24/7 with the hope of helping Jews, Judaism and, thereby, the entire world. And that required expecting the unexpected.

In the days of the rioting there was nothing to do, it was impossible to leave his house. And even weeks after the rioting ceased signs of vandalism were everywhere and tension filled the air but the Rabbi tried to resume his normal activities.

It wasn’t easy; there were no tourists, Jews included, and after all the violence it seemed wise for him to just stay indoors for a few more weeks but he had a job to do… maybe there was even one Jew out there and then there were some things that were pressing …. like going to the post office to get his mail which was a daily necessity.

But even such a seemingly simple task was fraught with danger. The post office was located in a part of downtown that was a youth hangout and had been hit the hardest by violence.

There were days that he took side roads to get there and used the back entrance, which meant a serious detour and time loss, just to avoid trouble.

But one day he was running late and forgot to worry for trouble. He headed straight for the post office but as he neared his goal he began to regret it. A group of about ten mean-looking fellows, with tattooed arms, punk hairdos and other bizarre and frightening decorations were staring at him with hatred in their eyes. His full beard, black hat, long black coat and entire Jewish demeanor were like a red flag before a maddened bull and he was a sitting duck for their frustrations.

He considered turning back, taking an alternate route and avoiding them but something told him to just keep walking. From afar he heard the anti-Semitic curses they directed at him first in Greek then, because they knew he spoke English, in English.

He had experienced anti-Semitism before. Usually he just ignored it but for some reason this time he glanced up, raised one hand and, as he got closer, said in as friendly a tone as possible “Hello, good morning!”.

“Someone talking to you?!” the biggest of them replied sarcastically as the others got ready for some action.

Suddenly the Rabbi realized something. Just like Abraham, the first Jew, some 4,000 years earlier was alone and opposed in his quest to bring meaning into a hostile world, but G-d protected him (therefore we pray to ‘The Shield of Abraham’) so this same ‘G-d of Abraham’ would protect him now.

He smiled and said, “Maybe you weren’t talking to me… but you certainly are talking about my people.”

“That’s right Jew!” The young man replied with burning venom laced with terms not fit to print, “About your cursed nation of thieves, liars and cheaters we certainly were talking. And we’ll keep talking until you are exterminated etc.”

The smile did not depart from Rabbi Kaplan’s face as he calmly replied, “You look like intelligent people. You have no reason to hate me or any other Jew. In fact, if you knew the truth, I’m sure you wouldn’t treat any of us badly.”

This was too much for the ‘leader’. He was livid with anger as he made a fist, held it before the Rabbi’s face and said, “I’m an experienced boxer. Unless you want to taste a few of these you’d better get away as fast and far as possible and don’t come back!”

Rabbi Kaplan realized that things were about to get out of hand, so he calmly turned to the others, blessed them warmly with a good day and good news and continued on to the post office.

But after he finished his business there and left the building something told him not to take a detour back home, rather to return the same way he came…. After all, he was only here to do good; the same G-d of Abraham that protected him on his way here would protect him on his way back.

But this time when he passed the group something unexpected happened, they were quiet. He again blessed them with a good day and all of them answered “Same to you.”

He continued walking and the ‘boxer’ that had threatened him previously approached him and stuck out his hand. “I want to apologize for what we said before. We thought about it and decided that you are right. We really know nothing about the Jews. Must be that we were affected by the media or what people say.”

The Rabbi shook his hand, smiled and said. “Apology accepted. The fact is you should never judge anyone before knowing them and for sure you shouldn’t hate anyone just because of their opinions. Here” Said Rabbi Kaplan as he took a calling card from his wallet and handed it to the ‘boxer’, “if you ever want to talk over a cup of coffee … on me!”

If the Rabbi had doubts about talking to these people in the first place all of them melted away. Finally he would have a chance to dispel some of the hatred in the streets and maybe convince some of those fellows to live better lives.

A few days later he got a phone call. “Hey Rabbi, my name is Alexandros remember me? I’m the fellow you gave your card to the other day. You know, the boxer. Were you serious about that cup of coffee? If so, I’m right outside your house.

Rabbi Kaplan was pleasantly surprised and in just moments he was introducing Alexandros to his wife and children. Then they sat down and the conversation began. His visitor had good questions and was a great listener but eventually, at the third or fourth cup of coffee, when the topic of ‘Who is a Jew’ came up and the Rabbi explained that only someone with a Jewish mother, or genuinely converts to Judaism, is considered a Jew, Alexandros got serious and began making interesting calculations. “Mother? What about Father? What about grandmother? What about grandfather’s mother? What about grandmother’s mother?”

Because my mother’s mother, my maternal grandmother once told me that she had once been ………….. Jewish.

She said she was even religious, observant, but in the war, after her husband and children were murdered by the invading Germans she ran and hid in the mountains for several years. She thought that all the Jews probably had been killed and she would be too if anyone found out. So, when she returned to civilization and found there were no Jews left, she married a gentile and began going to church.

Shortly thereafter she gave birth to a baby girl, my mother, who grew up and married a religious Greek Orthodox man and their first child was……me!  Alexandros!

Alex was Jewish.

He even took the Rabbi to visit his aged grandmother who tearfully verified the story and even agreed to put a Mezuzah on her home.

Suddenly Alex transformed from one who knew nothing good about Jews ….. to being one. He even put on Tefillin for the first time in his life and agreed to do it every day thereafter.

This answers our questions. Why did Moses reprimand the Jews and why are we reading about it thousands of years later?

Moses was giving the Jews a very essential life lesson as they were about to enter Isael.  In the desert G-d provided them with food and protection.
But in Israe they would have to work for their livelihood and actually fight and defeat their enemies. There they would be tempted to think that they are in control! That they are doing it all.

Moses’s message was ….  All the problems you had in the desert were the result of such a mistake; thinking that WE are G-d.

Know that G-d is putting the fate of the world in OUR hands …..  but He wants us to be His partners! To make decisions and meet challenges …. But on HIS terms.

And this is the message to us, now and here: we should not make the same mistakes as the previous generations. If we do everything possible and let G_d  do the rest we can be the ones to make a perfect world.

And that is why this Shabbat we can ‘see’ the Third Temple. In order to empower, encourage and remind us that this goal is MUCH closer than we think.

That is the reason we must be happy this Shabbat, because we get a ‘glimpse’ of our potential. But we must also remember the secret of success is …… to be partners with the Almighty. As the Rabbi in our story did his best to improve the situation …..   and (G-d) miraculously did the rest!

This is the goal of Judaism; Just as David fought the battles of Judaism, Solomon built the Temple and Moses brought the Jews to Israel. So will Moshiach defeat all opposition, rebuild the Third Temple and gather the Jews to Israel as well as bringing peace, health, joy and prosperity to all mankind.

But it is up to US to do all we can to make it happen. We can bring ‘the Redemption’ even one second earlier and save the world from confusion and suffering.

And not much is missing. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish suffering and longing. It could be that all that is lacking is  one more good deed, word or even thought, then G-d will do the rest, surprise us, and we will see the Third Temple in Jerusalem NOW with

Moshiach NOW!

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