The Lion is saying, "G-d shall go out as a mighty man, He shall arouse zeal, He shall
cry, even roar, He shall prevail over His enemies." (Isaiah 42:13)
Rabbi Yonatan would say: Whoever fulfills the Torah in poverty, will
ultimately fulfill it in wealth; and whoever neglects the Torah in wealth, will
ultimately neglect it in poverty.
Tiferet
shebeYesod (beauty and balance
within the context of foundation and firmness)
And in the thirty-eighth week, at the
end of the month of Sivan, comes the
opportunity for the lion to declare in Perek
Shirah that the Lord will come as a mighty warrior, and shall take revenge
as a man of war. Triumphant, Hashem
will roar and overcome His enemies. (Isaiah 42:13) This verse is connected with
the month of Sivan, where all the
people trembled at the voice of G-d presenting the Ten Commandments on Mount
Sinai.
The lion’s verse is also related to
the tribe of Zevulun, who would go out to sea in search for trade. Our sages
make a very interesting link between the idea of "going out to war” and
"going out in order make a living," which as we know can be a kind of
war. (See Week 20 regarding how the
age of twenty is both the age to pursue a livelihood and to enlist for war).
The week of the lion is not only the
last week of the month of Sivan, but
is also the last week of spring. The next two months of the summer, Tammuz and Av, are quite intense, and are closely linked to the destruction of
the Temple. Moreover, these months are also connected to the reconstruction of
the Temple and the coming of Mashiach.
In this verse for week thirty-eight, Hashem Himself is referred to as a lion.
It should be noted that the Temple is also often referred to as a lion (Ariel, which literally means "lion
of G-d"). The lion is also the symbol of the tribe of Judah, from whom
comes King David and Mashiach. There
is a Midrash that further explores
this lion theme: "The lion (Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian emperor)
appeared during the lion (the month of Av) and destroyed Ariel (the Temple), so that the Lion (G-d) will appear during the
lion (the month of Av) and rebuild Ariel."[1]
Similarly, the lion’s verse compares Hashem
to a man at war, a roaring lion, who will defeat His enemies and redeem His
people.
In the last week of Sivan we prepare spiritually,
physically, and psychologically, for the intense period that is to come. The
next months of Tammuz and Av can be ones of much pain, but also
contain the spirit of redemption - it all depends on how we approach them. In
order to succeed, we must connect with the spark of the lion of Judah, of
David, and of Mashiach, which each of
us carries inside. If we prepare well, taking into account everything we
learned from Passover to Lag Ba’Omer, to
Shavuot, we will be strong as lions
and, with G-d constantly on our side, we will have absolutely nothing to fear.
Thirty-eight is the gematria of the Hebrew word Bul, the Biblical name given to the
month of Cheshvan. The Torah states
that “in the month Bul, which is the
eighth month, the house [of G-d] was finished throughout all the parts thereof,
and according to all the fashion of it, and he [Solomon] built it in seven
years.”[2]
On week twenty-three, in Adar, we had
discussed the significance of the gematria
of the word Ziv, the biblical name
given to the month of Iyar. We
mentioned how on Iyar the
construction of Solomon’s Temple began. Having fully experienced the redemption
of Adar and Nissan, having worked on ourselves in Iyar, and experienced the revelation of the Torah in Sivan, our internal Temple should now
feel completed. It is our duty to properly protect that Temple, and to bring
about the reconstruction of the Temple
in Jerusalem.
Thirty-eight is composed of the
letters chet and lamed, which form the word chol,
meaning sand, and reminds us of the blessing Abraham received that his
offspring would be as numerous as the sand in the sea. Chol also means profane, connected to the destruction of our Temple,
our exile, and the profanation of G-d’s name that took place in the months that
follow Sivan. Chet and lamed also form
the word lach, which means wet or
fresh. We leave Sivan and spring as a
whole, fresh and full of water (a metaphor for Torah), and are now ready to
face the summer heat.
The Pirkei Avot lesson for this week is from the teaching of Rabbi
Yonatan (IV: 9): one who fulfills the Torah in poverty will fulfill it in
wealth, but whoever neglects the Torah in wealth will come to neglect it in
poverty. During this week we experience a similar concept. If we violate the
Torah so close after we experienced its revelation in Sivan, it will be even harder to fulfill it in the potential
poverty experienced during the months of Tammuz
and Av. However, if we fulfill the
Torah during those months of "poverty," we will transform them into
months of tremendous spiritual, intellectual, and emotional enrichment, with
the coming of Moshiach. In addition,
our commitment to the Torah in the "spiritual poverty" of exile will
be compensated with the ability to fulfill the Torah in the “spiritual wealth”
of the Messianic era.
This week’s Pirkei Avot is also closely linked to the tribe of Zevulun, given
its wealth and ability to provide for the tribe of Issachar, who was devoted
entirely to the study of Torah. Zevulun itself, although more professionally
active than Issachar, also remained faithful to the Torah and devoted to its
study.
The sefirot combination for this week results in tiferet shebeyesod: beauty and balance within foundation. During
this week, we feel the beauty and balance of the Torah within us, and reinforce
our Jewish foundations in order to face the difficult coming months.
A lesson in self-improvement that we
draw from the lion is that we must be brave and willing to “go out” beyond our
insulated worlds and comfort zones in order to help those around us.
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