Parsha Naso — Putting God back into this world
This week has been one of searching. Searching for the soul of Jerusalem, the weekly Parsha, and of Torah. In Shavuot we recall the giving of the Torah and the ten “commandments.”
So, I was looking in the Parsha to find some inspiration to help define what is the soul of the Torah?
Besides, the Cohanim — Priestly blessing that is an integral part of Jewish ritual, there was nothing else in the Parsha that moved me. OK. we have she suspected wife — Sotah and the abstinence of the Nazir, but I wanted something more universal, impactful.
My revelation came through LinkedIn and what’s app in my morning browse sipping my coffee enjoying the gentle sunrise in Jerusalem.
The first from a professor of ethics. Guido Palazzo
“Romans believed that Aeneas, the son of a demigod was their ancestor. Twin brothers founded the city, both again demigods, suckled by a she-wolf. From such stories, the Romans derived their values such as dignitas and the idea of being the chosen one — represented in fortuna, granted by the Gods.
For us today, it sounds strange that an entire society could be organized around such a narrative.
We believe that markets regulate themselves, that consumption makes happy, that shareholder rights should trump any other right and that growth is possible in eternity.”
The second, from my friend Rav Itzhak Even Shay’s who shared Rav Kook’s writing.
“Knesset Yisrael aspires to the tikkun/repair of the world in all its fullness…All, all must be fixed; all must be purified. A new spirit, and a new world will then be built.”
So, you say we have two extremes here.
The glue that fixes this is Torah and specifically the Priestly blessing.
There are number of thoughts that come to mind
· Power to bless
· The desire to bless others
· The believe that we can be blessed by God through man
· The power of blessings
The blessing itself which has three categories
· Countenance — attributes- Protection — wealth
· Gracious to you — attributes — Pardon/ show favour / treat everybody well
· Shalom — attributes — absence of war / kindness/ compassion / equanimity
I know I have simplified these mystical words, but the key differential is the desire by God through the Torah for a more just world.
This is based on wanting to bless others. And using the priestly blessing as our foundation leads to the Tikkun Olam of Rav Kook.
“Knesset Yisrael aspires to the tikkun/repair of the world in all its fullness…All, all must be fixed; all must be purified. A new spirit, and a new world will then be built.”