Welcome to Toralog

Keep it Relevant

This blog is meant to show the relevance of the weekly Sedrah to current events, and to the annual cycle of the year. It contains thoughts based on Sforim from recognized sources, as well as lectures heard from recognized Talmidei Chachamim. If my own thoughts are published, they are clearly marked as speculation, unless a Talmid Chacham can find a source.

Since we are living in extraordinary times, we can expect explosive insights that will help us understand the Parsha as current events shed light on them.

This is a log, exposing how the weeks events are hinted at in the the timeless truth contained in the weeks Parsha. We don't believe in coincidence, that it just happened that we were reading about a particular topic when a major world crisis erupts, but there is always a connection. Kol Shabat B'shabato, Rav Tzadok Hacohen writes in Pri Tzadik that every Shabbos is unique, each Shabbos has the Kochos, the potential contained in the weekly reading.
Since the physical world is the implementation of the blueprint outlined in Chumash, and if the minds of Am Yisrael are focused on a particular Parsha, then where Am Yisrael places their attention is where the world goes.

And we'll start with BaMidbar, B'Ezras Hashem, we'll start off in the desert, where a count takes place. What was the intent of this count? Sfas Emes says (beginning of Bamidbar), it is to inject the holiness of Torah into Am Yisrael and into time. The intent is to elevate Klal Yisrael, and to elevate the particular time when the count took place. In this Parsha, there is a counting and an ordering of the different tribes in their appropriate positions. Why does it matter where the tribes are placed, can't they all be one big blob? No, they reach their maximum potential only if they are placed properly. Similarly, we would expect the world to be arranged in its appropriate position during this week, meaning that those who are in inappropriate positions of power should be removed.

If a count is taking place in this week's parsha, we can be sure that the time when this Parsha is read is being elevated. What does that mean? It means that a huge amount of potential is being injected into Am Yisrael and our current time period, a time towards the end of Sefira, where we are already counting the week of Y'sod, a Mida symbolized by Yosef HaTzadik. Yosef is able to tap into Hashem's Chochma and save the world from famine. Similarly, during this time it is possible to make extraordinary growth, great leaps in Ruchnius, and a deeper understanding of what Chazal are telling us. But this growth takes place only if we are in the appropriate location, in shul, in the Beis Medrash, in places of great potential, instead of watching TV or playing golf.

And what major world event grabbed the headlines this week? The leader of France fell victim to a count of votes on the so called EU consitution. A "leader" who was a loyal friend of Saddam's regime. After the count in France, the Unification of Europe is shaken up. However, we can expect all of Europe to become very unified as they become more proactive in the "peace process", and all of the bickering between the countries will diminish as they focus their energies
on implementing the "Road Map".

What lesson is there for us? Things can change in an instant. A new count, vote can change the leadership of any of the countries that influence the world, a peace treaty made with one leader is worthless when he is removed from office. We have to realize that the only vote that counts, the only count that counts, is the count of the number of zechuyot we accumulate through proper behavior. By proper, we mean being in the proper location where our actions can count. This includes shul, the Beis Medrash, Eretz Yisrael, Gmilas Chasadim, etc. And if enough "votes" are accumulated, then the direction of the world can change towards geula in just an instant.