This weeks Parsha has a very clear outline:
First Moshe lists the rewards for listening to G-d’s word.
Then, Moshe warns the Jews not to worship the other nations G-d’s after defeating them.
This warning is followed by a “pep-talk” to the Jews not to fear the nations they are to conquer (A confidence booster).
After the “pep-talk,” the Jews are warned not to be overconfident.
Then, comes another warning against idolatry.
The Parsha continues with a warning against self-righteousness, and continues to relate how bad the Jews have been in the desert.
Then, Moshe tells the Jews about the reception of the second tablets.
The Jews are then told what is required of them.
Followed by the uniqueness of the divine providence in the land of Israel.
Then comes the second paragraph of the daily Shema which is the acceptance of the yoke of the commandments.
Then the Parsha concludes with Moshe telling the Jews that if they keep this entire mandate, they will be victorious in battle, and will inherit the land as G-d has said.
First things first, we see the genius of Moshe Rabeinu as a teacher. He knows he is going to die soon, and over the course of a few weeks, relates the entire book of Devarim to the Jews. In our generation, if one G-d forbid, found out his end was near, he would probably go on a long vacation and enjoy himself, not really caring about his responsibilities, after all, he would be free of them soon enough. But Moshe is called “Rabeinu“, our teacher, because that is what he was. He was all about teaching. So as his end approached, he finished what he began. But what our Parsha demonstrates, is his teaching style. A teacher has to have a very balanced temperament. He must be strict to discipline his students, but he must be loving as well. Moshe shows us how to do it. Even though his end is near, he balances his temperament, because he is teaching for the good of the Jews, not for himself.
We have an idea in Judaism that the left hand should always push away, while the right hand pulls close. The left hand always represents strict discipline, while the right represents generosity; unbound love. They both have to be done together. One has to give discipline out of love, and love with discipline. Rav Simcha Wasserman said that if you want to turn someone around (which is what teaching is), you can’t just pull him towards you. But it also doesn’t work if you push him away. But, if one pulls him in with his right hand, while pushing him away with his left, he will turn around (As anyone who has ever rowed a boat knows). This is what Moshe does again and again in our Parsha. He gives warnings and “pep-talks.” He speaks of the fulfillment of promises, and the Jews obligations. It’s all one.
But what I would like to focus on this week is Moshe Rabeinu’s “pep-talk.” Moshe relates it in an interesting style. First he warns the Jews not to worship idols. Then, he builds the Jews confidence. Then he warns the Jews not to be overconfident. That is bookended by another warning against idolatry. What I think we need to understand are: Why the bookends of warning against idolatry? And what does Moshe use to boost the Jews confidence, what is the Torah idea of “self-esteem”?
I think that if we can understand the Torah idea of self-confidence, it will become obvious why it is bookended by the warnings.
Moshe recognizes that the Jews may be afraid of the nations living in Israel, after all, there are more of them, they are stronger, and there are giants... Valid reasons to be afraid. But listen to what Moshe tells them. He doesn’t say, “You can do it, with a little training, the right diet and a good sleep.” He doesn’t say, “You’re smart, and you are great swordsmen.”
He says, “Don’t worry. Remember G-d? He’ll take care of everything. Remember all the miracles that he did for you in the redemption from Egypt? That was just the beginning. G-d will deliver your enemies right into your hands.”
In effect, Moshe tells the Jews, “You’re right, you should be afraid. You can’t defeat these nations. If it depended on your own strength, you would lose. But it’s not your strength that will win this war, it is G-d’s.”
Then Moshe says the famous lines, (Dev. 8:17-18)”Kochy VeOtzem Yady...” - “Don’t say it was my strength that brought me success. You must remember that it is G-d who gives you the strength to succeed.”
Apparently the Torah idea of self-esteem, has nothing to do with the self! Moshe is telling the people that they themselves can’t win. The idea of self-esteem is actually total reliance on G-d. Moshe doesn’t build the Jews egos. He doesn’t say how strong they are, or how smart they are, or how talented they are. These talents fail the best of men. The Jew’s confidence comes from the knowledge that these things all come from G-d.
Rav Tatz explains it this way...Stay with me:
There is a Midrash which tells of how Kings: David, Asa, Yehoshaphat and Chizkiyahu each dealt with war.
King David said, “I will pursue my enemies and overtake them, and I won’t return until I have destroyed them.” G-d replies, “I shall do it.” So King David did just that, and succeeded, with divine assistance.
King Asa said, “I don’t have the power to destroy them, rather I will pursue them and you do it.” G-d answered, “I shall do it.” King Asa pursued the enemy and G-d destroyed them.
King Yehoshaphat said, “I don’t have the power to destroy or (even) to pursue; rather I will sing (in prayer and praise) and you do it.” G-d answered, “I shall do it.” King Yehoshaphat sang, and the enemy was defeated without any military action on his part.
King Chizkiyahu said, “I don’t have the power to destroy or pursue or (even) to sing; rather I will sleep on my bed, and you do it.” G-d answered, “I shall do it.” Chizkiyahu slept, and the enemy was miraculously defeated during the night.
At first glance, it seems like this is an increasing level of greatness. King David had to do a lot of work, but all King Chizkiyahu did was sleep, he must have been really great! But the opposite is true. We know that the generations decline in greatness from Sinai, and King David is one of the greatest men who ever lived. So the explanation is the opposite, King David acts within nature, as if all consequences depend on his actions, but at the same time he is constantly expressing the idea that his actions are not the true cause at all. The challenge of this level of greatness, is to realize that no matter what you do, the result and your strength come from G-d, not your own actions. King David was on a level where he could wage war naturally, and realize that the victory wasn’t because of him, it was because of G-d.
King Asa, wasn’t on the level of King David. If King Asa would have destroyed his enemies, there was a danger that he would have said, “We destroyed them!” And that human action won the war. So he asked G-d to destroy his enemies so he wouldn’t think it was his own strength that did it.
The pattern continues with King Yehoshaphat, who could only pray. If he would have pursued his enemies there was a danger that he would say, “It was our pursuit that won the war.”
King Chizkiyahu couldn’t even pray. He might have thought it was the great prayers that won the war. So all he could do was go to sleep. Only a miracle like that could show it was G-d and not man’s strength that won the war.
The way a Jew fights is through a realization that if he wins, it’s not because of his own strength, it’s because of G-d’s. G-d wants us to express his wisdom in the world, not our ego. We think that because we work hard, we deserve prosperity. There is only one area where if one works and struggles he is guaranteed success, Torah. It says in the Gemarah(Megilla 6b), “If one says ‘I struggled and I succeeded.’ Believe him. This is in regards to Torah, but in business, it doesn’t work that way, you need help from Heaven.”
If one thinks that he is successful because of his own strength, he is arrogant. And it says in the Gemarah (Sotah 4b), “Anyone who is arrogant, it is as if he is worshipping idols.” Now we are back to what we discussed last week. The idea of humility, is to show the world that it’s not you that has strength, but it is G-d acting through you. That is the confidence of a Jew. His confidence lies in the knowledge that G-d’s strength is infinite. And the Jew realizes that it is not his own strength that accomplishes, but it is G-d that allows him to. Once ones confidence is grounded by physical limitations, ones confidence is limited by his own physical limits. If your confidence is based on how smart you are, then if someone else is smarter than you, you will lose confidence. If the Jews confidence was based on their own strength, they would have lost their wars. The Torah says clearly in many places that the Jews enemies were mightier then they. They won because they knew G-d was winning for them, and it wasn’t due to their own strength, even though they were fighting!
The reason that this idea is surrounded by warnings against idolatry should be obvious based on our definition of idolatry last week. A person worships idols because it’s more comfortable for HIM. It is playing to ones own ego. If that’s true, then we can understand why Moshe warns the Jews not to worship idols before (during) and after this pep-talk. Idolatry is the inflation of the ego, it’s worshipping ones self. If one worships ones self, how will he be able to fight? He will think it is his own strength that did it. That’s why it says that if one is arrogant, it’s as if he’s worshipping idols. As Jews, we must do whatever we can, especially as the new year approaches, to realize that we are successful because of G-d’s strength, and not because of Kochy VeOtzem Yady, not because of our own.
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