nyu,-nxgh vacug s; Volume 28 No. 44 MATTOT-MASEI Daf Hashavua

6 August 2016 • 2 Av 5776 Shabbat ends in at 9.35pm Artscroll p.900 • Hertz p.702 • Soncino p.955 Solutions in Vision & Visualisers the Sidrah by Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community

In ‘Habit Two’ of Stephen Covey’s week’s sidrah, lists every one of best-selling book, The Seven Habits the Jewish people’s encamp- of Highly Successful People, he ments in the desert. cites extensive research published by academic Charles Garfield on A king had a child who was peak performers. Garfield looked at unwell. He took him on a long and people in the fields of athletics and difficult journey to visit the best business, as well as participants in doctor, who was eventually able to the NASA training programme, cure him. On their return journey, during which astronauts are as they retraced the same route, required to rehearse every single the king pointed out each place to aspect of their mission beforehand him and what had transpired at in a simulated environment. The that location: “Here we slept, here result of his research was that almost all we managed to find a place to rest, here your world-class athletes and other peak- head hurt and we had to deal with it….”. performers are visualisers. They are people who can literally see, feel, and experience a task The point of the is that only at the end before they actually complete it. They ‘begin of the journey could the Jewish people look with the end in mind’. back and appreciate not just how far they had come, but how each stage along the way had One prime example is Olympic swimmer actually brought them closer to their goal. In Michael Phelps, whose focus on routine we many ways, the trials and tribulations of the discussed last week. As a result of his extreme Jewish people’s long journey through the state of mental preparedness, Phelps is ready desert demonstrate that this was something to face almost any possible scenario during a they had to learn the hard way. Yet the race. So when his goggles filled with water extensive list of place names, culminating during the final of the 200m butterfly race at in their arrival at the banks of the Jordan, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps did not also teaches us, as their descendants, never to panic. He simply counted his strokes until the lose sight of where we are going in life and wall and once again beat his own world record. what our ‘end-game’ actually is. During the Phelps saw the end goal before he even started course of our own ‘journey’ in life, our sole the race. focus must be on reaching our destination, our The Midrash states a parable in order to help own ‘Promised Land’. ‘Begin with the end in illustrate the reason why the , in this mind’ is a major key to success. An Everlasting Connection by Rabbi Baruch Davis Chigwell & Hainault United Synagogue, Editor-in-Chief of Daf Hashavua

This week’s second sidrah, Massei, contains a 27:1, 36:1). Why does the list of Israel’s travels for 40 years in the desert Torah go all the way back to and continues with the allocation of the Land Yosef and by doing so, to the amongst the tribes of Israel. Thus the sidrah of Book of Bereishit? Masei brings the entire story of the Exodus to (d.1105) comments: a close. “This teaches us that Yosef Rabbi Yair Kahn, of Yeshivat Har Etzion in loved the Land, as it is written, ‘You Israel, suggests that the end of our sidrah also shall bring up my bones…,’ and his daughters brings closure to the Book of . Two [i.e., descendants] also loved the Land – as it weeks ago, in parashat Pinchas, we read that is written, ‘Give us an inheritance’. In fact, the Land was allocated according we have met Menashe’s son, to families and inherited through Machir, before: “Yosef saw the male line. The daughters of Ephraim’s children to the third Tzelofchad, from the tribe of generation; the children of Menashe, approached Moshe and Machir, son of Menashe, were asked that in families where also born on Yosef’s knees” there were no males to inherit, (Bereishit 50:23). According to the Land should pass to the Rashi, this means that Yosef daughters. Otherwise their helped to raise his great- father’s inheritance would be lost grandson Gilad and his brothers. to others. Their wish was granted and they inherited their deceased In the last scene in the Book of father’s estate ( 27). Bereshit, when Yosef informs his brothers of his imminent demise, In today’s sidrah, the elders of he leaves them with a promise of their family expressed concern redemption: “G-d will surely visit you and take that if the daughters of Tzelofchad were to you out of here () and you shall take my marry outside their tribe, their land would pass bones with them” (ibid 50:25). to another tribe. Their concern was also acknowledged and the daughters of Yosef had left his homeland, the , Tzelofchad were instructed to marry within against his will at the age of 17, when his their tribe, which they did (ibid 36). brothers sold him to Egypt. We can only imagine his intense longing for the Land from Why was this story chosen to end the Book of which he was forcibly removed. There is no Bemidbar and how might it also serve as an doubt that he transmitted this longing to epilogue to the Book of Bereshit? his offspring, including Gilad, ‘raised on his In both Pinchas and Masei, the daughters of knees’. This is why the end of Bemidbar, Tzelofchad and the elders of the family are with the story of Yosef’s descendants and their described as being descended from “Gilad, son concern for their portion in the Land, also of Machir, son of Menashe, son of Yosef” (ibid brings closure to the Book of Bereshit. Our Pain Over the Destruction of the Temple by Dayan Elimelech Vanzetta, Ahavas Yisrael, Edgware

The 21 days between 17 Tammuz and 9 Av is main purpose of observing this period of called ‘Yemei Bein HaMetzarim’ – literally ‘the mourning; it is an opportunity that enables days between narrow straits’. The origin of us to have a greater understanding of this designation is a verse in Megillat Eichah the consequences of our actions, both (1:3): “She dwells amongst the nations, has individually and collectively. As long as the not found respite, her pursuers overtook her Temple is not with us, this process has not yet () between narrow straits”. been fully fulfilled. During these days, throughout the gener- However, even with a destroyed Beit ations, many tragedies and calamities befell HaMikdash, a dispersed nation and the the Jewish people, including the destruction many threats faced by the State of Israel, of both Temples on 9 Av respectively. we should never think, even for a second, that the Almighty is not However, there is another looking after us. There is no purpose of mourning during decree that we will once these days, aside from con- again be exiled, nor that the tinuing to lament over the Temple will remain destroyed. tragedies of yore: On the contrary, the Torah The Jerusalem states: relates that these are all “Whoever has not seen our temporary and transient Holy Temple rebuilt in his/her days, it is circumstances that can be rectified at any as if it has been destroyed in his/her moment. days” (Yomah 1:1). Rabbi Ya’akov Weinberg On that day of our redemption, our suffering (d. 1999) explained this statement. The and sadness will be transformed into rejoic- natural state of the Temple is to be built ing and happiness. At that time, Zecharia and present in Jerusalem, for all to see. movingly prophesised that 9 Av will cease The fact that it is not there indicates not to be a day of fasting and mourning. It will only that we have not rebuilt it, but that become a day of feasting and celebrating. we are continuing to prevent the rebuilding. “So said the Lord of Hosts: the Every generation has the capacity to awaken fast of the tenth [month] shall be for the the Almighty’s mercy, to save the Jewish house of Yehuda for joy and happiness, nation from its enemies, to bring about the gladness and festive times…” (Zecharia 8:19). ingathering of the exiles and the building of May it be our will and the will of the the Temple. How can we achieve this? Almighty that we should all merit to We must strive to undergo a process of celebrate the rebuilding of the Temple and mending our own ways, of becoming better that this year’s 9 Av shall become a day of people, of reminding ourselves of our true happiness for the Jewish people and the misdeeds so as to correct them. This is the whole world. Insights into Formalising Prayer Jewish History by Rebbetzen Ilana Epstein, Cockfosters & N Southgate United Part 44 Synagogue; US Living & Learning Head of Project Development

Secular scholars tell us that the diaspora, so the non- did not perceive structure of the daily prayers we have G-d’s ‘might’. today was instituted after the des- The difference between men like truction of the Second Temple, to Moshe, Yirmiyahu and Daniel, was replace the sacrifices that were no that they had an understanding of longer offered. The Talmud, on the other G-d of which the people of the hand, tells us that at the beginning of Second Temple period could not even begin to the Second Temple period, Ezra and the conceive. They prayed what was in their hearts Men of the Great Assembly had already and they had a special capacity to find the right formalised these prayers, corresponding to words and topics to pray for. The Men of the the sacrificial services that were still Great Assembly lived at a time when many Jews functioning at the time (see Berachot 33a, for were in exile and had lost the capacity to example). The most notable of them is the construct relevant prayers in Hebrew for our central prayer of every public and private daily services. They were concerned that if service that we say – the Amidah (the ‘stand- ordinary people prayed simply what was in their ing prayer’, also known as the ‘Shmoneh Esrei’, hearts, they would not be able to construct meaning 18 Blessings; a 19th blessing was the words and sentences required to express added at a later date). themselves appropriately. Therefore, the first In fact, we were praying long before that blessing of the Amidah prayer once more stage, although not necessarily with a standard referred to G-d as ‘the great, mighty and liturgy. We know that the prophet Daniel awesome G-d’. was arrested as a punishment for his being A second, and much more practical reason for caught praying three times a day to “the the formalisation of the prayers was that, for the one true G-d”, and he was subsequently first time, there were Judeans living outside of thrown into the lions’ den for this ‘crime’. Judea and Jerusalem being taught to speak, read What would have caused the Men of the Great and write in foreign languages. Though one can Assembly to institute formal prayer prior to the pray to G-d in any language, nothing is more destruction of the Temple? The Talmud (Yoma powerful than praying to G-d in Hebrew. 69b) relates that when Moshe prayed to G-d Ezra and Nechemia had succeeded in building a he called him “the great, mighty and awesome thriving community in Jerusalem, despite huge G-d”. Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) in his time called obstacles along their way. Their model, and that G-d only “the great and mighty”, because the of the Men of the Great Assembly, has left an non-Jews who had ransacked the Temple and abiding memory, still found in modern Israel destroyed it, did not perceive G-d as ‘awesome’. today. The house of elected representatives is Finally, Daniel called G-d only “the great” since called the Knesset and, like the Great Assembly G-d’s children were exiled and living in the of old, comprises 120 members.

United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, together with US Living & Learning Editor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor in Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Available also via email US website www.theus.org.uk ©United Synagogue To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Richard Marcus on 020 8343 5685, or [email protected] If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email [email protected]