Rabbi's Blog

The messages that I have written over the last fifteen years serve to give inspiration, guidance, and, hopefully, good advice. Perhaps there have been a few articles that were sharp and may have been looked upon as condescending, judgmental, or even insensitive. One should know that my deeply respected teacher and rav, Rabbi Wein, instructed us as leaders to act and speak as Moshe Rabbeinu would have spoken to the Israelites – openly, strongly, and with clarity. I have consistently striven to do that, but I am sure that in some minds I have fallen short. Personally, I know that I have not come close to the full intent of mussar/rebuke the way Moshe Rabbeinu gave mussar. And so, with that said, we begin Sefer Devarim, this week’s parsha which relates the final thirty-seven days of Moshe Rabbeinu’s life. It is here, in parsha Devarim, that Moshe takes the opportunity to give Mussar/rebuke to His people. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Moshe’s feelings were not personal and clearly had the best interest of every Yid. This may sound like a disclaimer; in truth, I wanted to just mention all of this, focusing this week on some personal advice from a health-related theme. I share these important health experiences with you so that you, the reader, may follow these suggestions and take care of yourself, not only spiritually but physically too.

Chaza”l, the Rabbis, repeatedly point out ‘greater is the seeing of something, even more so than hearing about it’. The blessing of vision should not be taken lightly (nor, for that matter should any blessing be taken lightly). My father, of blessed memory, had diminishing vision for as long as I could remember. He was completely blind for the last twelve years of his life.  I check my eyes annually, and as I age, face certain common eye conditions that I will share in the hopes it may help someone else recognize the importance of awareness and making the effort to seek medical care. Sometimes a person does not even realize a problem they have, but hearing about it convinces them to take care of it. There is no mitzva to suffer in this world. If, by taking care of the issue we can alleviate pain and anxiety, allowing us to live a better quality of life, we should do so.

In 2023 the University of Utah’s health department released the following statement. “No matter how good it might feel, especially during allergy season, eye doctors warn against rubbing your eyes. It can be hard to break the habit but knowing that it can lower your risk of spreading infections and pink eye offers one great incentive. Another incentive is knowing that chronic eye rubbing can weaken or distort your cornea, the protective covering of your eye, possibly leading to a condition called keratoconus”. Rubbing the eyes can increase eye pressure, disrupt blood flow, and result in nerve damage in those with glaucoma. I noticed that I have been rubbing my eyes and was diagnosed with dry eyes known as (DED) dry eye disease or (KCS) Keratoconjunctivitis sicca. There are many facets of this condition and many different symptoms, causes and treatments. The purpose of my writing this is strictly to raise awareness for you or others who may have something similar.

Treatment for this or any other condition requires education, time, money, patience and, determination. There are short term remedies that require investment. In my case, simply using eye drops when necessary and applying warm compresses or certain warm patches ten minutes daily, results in immediate relief.  The eye-drops help with the initial short-term relief while the other procedure maintains the current dryness of the eye, insuring it does not worsen over time. Part of the treatment is applying lid scrubs and using a warm compress. Moisture in a warm compress can hydrate the eyes and reduce grittiness. The warmth can also help relax the eyes and relieve pain or muscle spasms. Warm compresses can also help unclog the oil glands in your eyelids, which can improve the quality of your tears.

Vision is important in the physical sense and sometimes more important in the mental or abstract psychological viewing of something. The irony of this week’s parsha Devarim is that the word ‘devarim’ means ‘words’, yet the parsha is replete with the notion of seeing.

The word ראה and its root, meaning some form of seeing, is found in Parshas Devarim 1:8, 1:21, 1:31, 1:35, 2:24, 2:31, 3:21. But just as in any language, there are multiple uses in words chosen which basically describe the same thing but provide a different emphasis and meaning.

The Haftorah for Parshas Devarim is taken from the beginning of the Navi Yeshayahu. In Yeshayahu 1:1, the opening verse of the Haftorah is "חזון ישעיהו בן אמוץ אשר חזה על יהודה וירושלם בימי עזיהו יותם אחז יחזקיהו מלכי יהודה"  “The vision of Yeshayahu, son of Amotz, in which he envisioned the kingdom of Yehuda, particularly the city of Yerushalayim, in the days of Uziyahu, Yosam, Achaz, and Yechizkiyahu, the kings of Yehuda”. There are ten different Hebrew terms for “prophecy”. Some well-known terms are נבואה, דיבור, משא,  and חזון. One view of the Sages, from which Rashi quotes in Midrah Rabbah is that ‘Chazon/vision’ refers to a harsh prophecy. The word is appropriate for this Haftorah message, which is filled with sharp rebuke.

In today’s ever-changing world we need to synthesize the seeing of the present and the vision of the future, always comparing it to the past. Moshe spoke of the past and told the Jewish people to look back and reflect upon their misdeeds and poor decision making. We are living through the history of our time in the world. It is our seeing of the events in real time, the culture changes around us, the economic instability we are balancing and measuring our Jewish life with all that going on around us. Ultimately, we need to take what a Navi a seer would say about the future and inculcate this message. It is interesting to note the Midrash Vayikra Rabba 10:2 that Yeshayahu had exceptional status among the later prophets. In some respects, our Sages even liken him to Moshe, stating, “There were no prophets greater than Moshe and Yeshayahu. How appropriate Moshe is, ending his prophecy here, toward the end of his life, the Haftorah that begins with the start of Yeshayahu’s prophecy.   

In conclusion, we are living through incredible times, exciting and scary all at the same time. We should look back and not only see but hear the words of the Neviim and follow them to bring the end of the long Galus /exile and re-enter the land of Eretz Yisrael, just as Moshe had led us up to that point.

May we merit to see the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash this week and celebrate the Yom Tov of Tish’a B’Av in joy and thanksgiving to Hashem.  Amen!