CYCLES
Cycles by their definition repeat themselves whether it is a cycle of time or cycle in space. The beauty of this repetition is that the end of the previous cycle precedes the beginning of the next cycle. This allows the end of the cycle to introduce the beginning of the next cycle. (See the meme)
This Shabbos we begin the next cycle of reading the Torah with Parshas Breishis. We are able to use Parshas Zos Habracha, the end of our previous cycle, to introduce the beginning of Breishis. There are two verses in Zos Habracha that are adjacent to each other which seem to have no connection with each other. The first verse states “Torah was commanded to us by Moshe; it is an eternal heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” It is followed by “When the elders of the nation gather in consensus there will be a king in Israel.”
The first verse teaches us that Torah was given to us by Moshe and it has be-come an eternal national heritage. The second verse teaches us that a Jewish king must be appointed with the consensus of the elders of the nation. In what way do these verses relate to each other?
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh points out that the use of “tzav” which means ‘to command’ is also the verb used to appoint an individual to a position of governor. This verb is used by the prophet Shmuel in describing how HaShem appointed Dovid on the people to be their king. We also find ‘tzav’ used in the Book of Shmos when HaShem appoints Moshe to rule over Pharaoh and the Jewish people. The Ohr Hachaim, therefore, suggests that our first verse should be understood as follows. “The Torah was appointed to a position of leadership over us (the people of Israel) by Moshe; this is the eternal heritage of the Congregation of Yaakov.” The Torah was appointed to be the Monarch of her people.
With the Ohr Hachaim’s insight the second verse is teaching us that even though the Torah is the eternal King over the Congregation of Yaakov, nevertheless, there will still be human kings when there will be a consensus from the elders of the nation.
The role of the king is to give direction to the nation and to assist every member of the nation to achieve their potential. The king must recognize the strengths and weaknesses of every member of his people and to guide each on e in assisting them to realize their potential. The king is responsible to protect his people and to provide an environment in which every member can thrive and flourish. While this cannot be anticipated from a mortal king, given his human limitations, this can be anticipated from an eternal King, such as the Torah which is an extension of HaShem.
Hence, the Torah is not merely the Book of Laws that HaShem gave us. It is not merely the Book containing the secrets of Creation which is filled with all the wisdom that Man can ever know. It transcends all that. It is the living Monarch of our people. It is the Book that directs her people as a nation. It is the Book that gives every individual direction. It is the Book that provides protection to her people. The Torah provides the environment in which every person has their unique role and is taken care of.
So as we begin the new cycle of Torah reading we can appreciate that She is alive and cares for all who cherish her.
Have a very wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind