בס”ד


Parashat Haazinu There is an amazing story with the Ramban, Rabi Moshe ben Nachman and one of his students regarding a verse in this week’s Torah reading.

The Torah as the Blueprint of Creation

Every single thing in the world is found in the Torah. Our Sages say that the Torah is the blueprint of the whole of creation. That means you are in there, and I am in there. Every creature in the world is written into the blueprint of the Torah.

This Week’s Reading: Haazinu

This week’s reading is called Haazinu, which means “listen.” It is a strong reprimand from Moses to the Jewish people: don’t go astray. He knows they will, so he calls the heavens and the earth as witnesses that he warned them, and that they must behave properly and keep G-d’s commandments.

The Ramban and His Student

There is a famous story about the Ramban, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, who lived in Spain in the 1200s. He had a great student called Avner. At some point in his life, Avner decided to leave his master and Judaism altogether. He converted to Christianity and even rose in the ranks of the Spanish government.

Avner was so angry at his master, for a reason we will find out later, that he summoned him on Yom Kippur. This is a fasting day for the Jewish people and one of the holiest days of the year, with many things we are not supposed to do. (These observances do not really apply to non-Jews.)

So Avner summoned his former teacher on Yom Kippur, and in front of him he slaughtered a pig, an animal Jews are not supposed to eat, and cooked it, which is forbidden on Yom Kippur. Then he ate it in front of his master. That was the level of anger he had toward him.

The Ramban was puzzled. “What brought you to this? Why are you so angry at me?”

“Show Me Where I Am in the Torah”

The student answered: “One time, when you were explaining Haazinu, you said something that really bothered me. You said that everything in the world is found in the Torah, and that everything is found in this week’s reading. But it is so short! What do you mean, everything is there? Show me where I am in the Torah.”

The Ramban prayed to G-d inside himself: “Please, G-d, illuminate my mind.” Then he told his student: “There is a verse that says: I said I will scatter them, I will make their memory cease from mankind. Take the third letter of each word, and you will find the name Rav Avner.” The “Rav” means rabbi, and the alef is the first letter of Avner.

The student was deeply moved. He was really impressed: he was found in the Torah, and not only that, he was even called rabbi! What a disaster it was, then, that he had abandoned it all.

The Path to Teshuvah

Avner felt so bad that he asked his master, “What can I do to fix all the terrible things I have done?”

The Ramban said: “Look at the verse where you are found: I will make their memory cease from mankind. You have to go to a place of exile where nobody knows you, and come back to Judaism there.”

That is exactly what Avner did. He repented, and he did teshuvah.

Finding Yourself in the Torah

From this story we learn that not just Avner, but every single one of us, every human being on the face of the earth, is found in the Torah. Each of us has a connection to the Torah, and through the Torah, a connection to the Creator, to G-d Himself.

May it be our merit to find ourselves in the Torah. Even if we don’t find the precise verse where we are written down, may it be our merit to find ourselves there, and may that help us return to our G-d. is:

What are we going to do about it?

Talk from Rabbi Tuvia Serber


The above is a representation of the spoken text converted to written text.

Sourcers

Torat Menachem – Hitva’aduyot 5745, vol. 5, p. 2722

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 31 

Exodus (Shemot) 31:13 

Likutei Torah, Shemini Atzeret 83b 

The Story of the Golden Calf — Exodus 32–34 

The Book of Jonah (Yonah) — especially Jonah 3, concerning the fasting and repentance of Nineveh 

Tosafot, Kiddushin 39b 

Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi), Nazir 9:1 

Midrash Tanchuma, Ha’azinu 4 

Rabbi Menachem Azariah da Fano (Rama of Fano), Asarah Ma’amarot, Ma’amar Chikur Din 2:11 

Mabit (Rabbi Moshe ben Yosef di Trani), Beit Elokim, Sha’ar HaTeshuvah, chapters 12–14 

Bereishit Rabbah 22:13 — concerning Cain’s repentance 

Ramban (Nachmanides), commentary on Genesis (Bereishit) 4:7 

Selichot of Tzom Gedalia — referring to the repentance of the people of Nineveh 

Likkutei Sichot, vol. 6, p. 55, note 47 

Likkutei Sichot, vol. 3, p. 981 

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