시편 27:14의 유대 사상

Even the as yet unborn will all succeed in their allotted task, if they will heed the same principles. (verse 14) In stage number two, Moses addresses himself to the few who instead of coming closer to G'd, remove themselves further and further from Him, until He exiles them and they taste the result of their estrangement. Having described the nation in its constituent parts and state of near perfection, Moses proceeds (verse 15) to express the fear that even at this stage the odd person might suffer a relapse and return to the corrupt Egyptian ways. Such individuals might comfort themselves by the thought that by reason of their belonging to the meritorious majority, their individual misdeeds would go unheeded. Moses therefore emphasizes that such individuals will not escape the wrath of G'd, and would be dealt with in accordance with the punishments listed in the previous section of the Torah. Moses describes that if the estrangement from G'd should become wholesale and lead to banishment of the people from their land, a teshuvah movement will commence amongst the exiles. Since this represents a return to G'd, G'd in turn will reciprocate with an ingathering of the exiles to the land of our inheritance, until, eventually, G'd will be doing even more for us than He has done for our forefathers. (30,1-10) Exile from the land of Israel, is the natural consequence of wilful estrangement from G'd and His Torah. The teshuvah discussed here is that of the nation as a whole, just as the estrangement though initially comprising only a few individuals, had gradually embraced the nation as a whole, with the resultant devastation described in our chapter. Once started on the road to rapprochement with G'd, the latter will also reverse the process of physical removal from the land. A man who is desperately sick and rejects all food intake due to a feeling of revulsion, will die unless he overcomes his distaste for food, and summons up enough willpower to eat at least a little. Once he has eaten a little, the newly supplied energy will make it easier for him to eat more and thus regain more of his former strength. In this way we can understand Isaiah chapter 55, who at first glance appears to contradict Moses. In Deut. 4,29, Moses seems to make successful establishment of the bond between Israel and G'd dependent on Israel making the first move. Isaiah 55,6, on the other hand, seems to say that there are moments when G'd is approachable regardless of human input. The fact is, that there is no contradiction here at all. Moses addresses himself to the beginning of the penitence process; at that time there has to be an input by the sinner. Isaiah speaks of the continuation of the penitence process, the second stage as it were. The first stage arrests the ongoing estrangement from G'd; the second stage concerns itself with the rapprochement to G'd. Our chapter thirty in Parshat Nitzavim deals with three stages of the penitence process and the respective responses by G'd. Each stage represents a higher and more comprehensive level of penitence, followed by a correspondingly greater response from G'd. Each level of teshuva, stems from loftier motivations. Isaiah 46,2, makes the point that when a beast is loaded down with idols, it must shake off its load in order to survive. If, on the other hand, a beast is loaded with fodder, shaking off its load will expose it to death by starvation. On the contrary, the taking on of additional supplies will enable the beast to complete its trek through the desert successfully. Jews in exile who want to shake off the yoke of the Torah will only advance the day of their total destruction. However, if they increase their burden in the knowledge that they carry the seeds of their survival, they will gradually become stronger and ultimately overcome their exile. The message of our Parshah is that teshuvah has to begin due to one's feeling afflicted. It will bring redemption in its wake. Since the mitzvah of teshuvah is so powerful in its ramifications, one could have assumed that one would have to ascend to Heaven to secure it. But Moses tells us, that it is not so difficult to attain, the matter is very close at hand, "you can perform it with your mouth and with your heart." (30,11-14)

R’ Chama bar Chanina said ‘if one sees that he has prayed and not been answered, go back and pray again, as it says “Hope in G–d, strengthen yourself and take heart! and hope in G–d…” (Tehillim 27:14) [ibid.]
Unlike the end purpose of prayer and the achievement of what is sought through it, which is singular, the magnification of the soul’s powers and the actualization of her wholeness through conceptions of holiness and perfection happens through pathways many and broad, branching into a multitude of particulars without end. And all secrets are revealed before the Eternal Rock (See Yishayahu 26:4) , even which particular spiritual conception is fit to, but lacking from, each soul for its completion. So too the lack whose appearance necessitates the particular prayer⁷⁹G–d ‘longs to hear the prayer of the righteous’ (Yebamot 64a) which, through the order of His transcendent wisdom, parallels that which the soul requires for completion.⁸⁰The radical assertion which R’ Kook is making here is - we generally imagine that we pray because things happen to us, but from the Divine perspective things happen to us in order that we pray. The events which move us to pray are those which can evoke the particular prayers that bring about our completion. As a practice of introspection, we should all notice what things in life and the world move us to pray. Sometimes the acceptance of prayer is delayed because the necessary spiritual conception is not completed in all its depth and variations within the soul until it has been repeated and reiterated many times. Therefore, one who has not been answered should go back and pray, and not say all is lost, G–d forbid. For is His hand shortened at all (See Yishayahu 50:2) that it cannot redeem?! Rather in His transcendent wisdom He considers how to give an end and hope⁸¹See Jeremiah 29:11, where the context is not despairing of exile. Contemplate prayer as the response to existential level of exile which is alienation from self. By asserting an image of the world as it ought to be, both the world around and the world within, prayer helps move us toward who we believe we ought to be. to a person, that all temporary things add to him an eternal value and significant wholeness. This is the nature of humanity - when we make efforts and do not achieve our aim, we loses heart. But when one knows that every act draws them nearer to their goal, even if the lofty nature of that goal necessitates many steps, their heart takes courage and redoubles its labor - therefore it is said “hope in G–d…” Hope itself is the quality of wholeness⁸²V’yesod hatikva hi ma’alat hashleimut…and the yesod of tikvah, the foundation of hope is…what is the foundation of hope, what is it grounded in, what is it founded upon? Ma’alat hashleimut…it’s grounded in the exquisiteness of the wholeness that derives from all the activities that preceded the wholeness that needed to come about. That’s what the hope is built upon, and I know I’m on the way and what I’m doing is not wasting and the things I’m involved in are bringing me to my will as long as I continue to deeply deeply pray about it. That foundation of hanhagat tachlict peulat hatfillah…of that being the end point of the activity of prayer…teidah ne’emana…then you’ll know…ki b’chal tziur shel tikvat hashem nekrav yoteir el hamatarah…then you’ll know that every description, every imagining of the hope you have for G-d, you have gotten closer.” R’ Daniel Kohn, and the foundation of hope is that level of wholeness which is worthy to emerge from the quality of the actions which precede it. In accordance with the stature of this foundation, of the guidance offered by the end purpose of prayer, you will surely know that with each conception of hope in G–d you draw closer to the goal; only, you have not yet arrived because you have not yet reached completion. Therefore - strengthen yourself and take heart! And hope in G–d.⁸³It’s a very important question. The question is, is there some activity that would be appropriate to help maintain this perspective? In this instance I really believe it’s about being present, but being present and prayerful. It’s not just about being in the now. It’s not. It’s about being in the now in a mode of prayer, which is to say it’s about being right here with what is and being very attentive to it and yes, having a future in mind toward which this is leading even though you don’t know how, and yet a gratitude very deeply for everything that has brought you to this place. But being very attentive and aware of what is is crucial because if you let yourself float away from what is and just be in the hopes then what is just looks totally sour and off…but if you’re attentive to what is, so it becomes very deep in terms of how much what is really is what needs to be right there. R’ Daniel Kohn