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D'var Torah by Dan Kuehler - July 24, 2010
Parasha Eikev - Deut. 7:12 thru 11:25

I am honored to do this D'var Torah portion. Tonight you will get my insights God given. This all came about because Keith Liker decided to keep the spiritual message coming in the Rabbi's absence and organized volunteers to help out. I am one of those volunteers. Keith also runs a Torah study which I attend and that's something you may be interested in. I want to believe so many of you decided to come here just to hear me speak but I know it's really Jane that brought you out. In fact, a lot of my Havarah attended this service because of Jane and the email's on the topic suggested I would also be an interesting side attraction. I do worship God as described in Jewish scripture. And, I am raising Jewish children. What more is there?

In this week's Torah Portion, we follow Moses' heart-wrenching plea to Adonai to enter the Promised Land and where Moses' request is denied from the Mountain. This Torah Portion was presented by Keith last Saturday. In fact, we discussed both passages at length on the phone and how they might relate. In A-kev Pau-rau-sha]. Ekev Parasha (Portion) Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25. Moses describes the land of Israel as eretz zavat chalav ud d vash 'a land flowing with milk and honey,' that where it comes from, Moses warns us about the spiritual dangers we will face when we enter the Land of Israel after our extended "time-out" in the desert, and cautions us to remember Adonai who is the source of all blessings... Repeat.

Last week I spent a number of hours on the highway to L.A., so, forgive me that spiritual insights can happen in traffic. I was thinking of this passage because the Radio in my car doesn't work and I recalled Martin Luther King's mention of the "The Mountain". Or, "I've been to the Mountain." Maybe, I thought, he borrowed from this Torah passage. I Goggled this idea and found that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech on April 3rd 1968 in Memphis. This speech happened to be given the day before King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4th, 1968. Another deathÉ another mountainÉ a coincidence, or does God strike twice? KingŐs speeches were often constructed of powerful language and metaphor usage. This speech was important because it outlines King's hope for a country that would be free of prejudice. I am going to address the mountain or peak and also the Valley or desert in this talk.

In this passage, however, the story deepens. Moses knows that he is about to die. So what does he do? He instructs the next generation and that's really important as we will discuss. My wife suggested this is like a person writing their will on their death bed including a living trust with a lot of do's and dont's. It is a common human behavior. People don't mess around on their death bed. And I can tell you from personal experience people don't mess around when they think they will die. This might be Moses must clearest message of all.

Likewise, King uses the mountain to help construct a whole picture of America as a nation whose racial sickness is surpassed by its powerful potential for greatness. King's mountain metaphor is powerfully demonstrated throughout his speech and serves as a road map for his audience to understand reality and the action that needs to follow. So, it also prescriptive in nature and demands a certain future plan. A mountain, a death, a plan. I see a pattern here.

To really understand all this, we need to now look back and gain perspective. What did the Jewish people learn from undergoing the trials, hardships, and difficulties in the desert for 40 years? No wonder they are a strong people. In the desert, they were in the pit, the Valley. God didn't put them here. They chose the desert. God may have opened the door. These trials in the Valley humbled the Jewish people, teared down their pride, and in doing so did allow God to build them up the right way. Essentially, the gene pool was purified and the people became mentally, physically, and spiritually strong. And, I don't believe everybody made it. So you can say that Adonai used these difficulties to purify them, and to teach them like a mother trains her children. In my mind, this 3000 year old story is as relevant today as then. And it amazes me how often I find something from contemporary literature or pop psychology actually has its seeds in the Torah. Often, what I believed to be great secular works has their seeds in the Torah and have been borrowed. I am tired of second sources. Look what is happening today following the financial collapse of this country, isn't there a purification going on? But, more on that in a moment.

Let's continue with Moses' second great speech, starting in chapter 7 verse 12: HANDUP

Then it shall come about, because (akev) you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His love which He swore to your forefathers.

It's a contract with Mutual obligations; it's a binding agreement between God and his people. What a deal that is. And that's the kind of input you get when you have a lawyer proof read your D'Var Torah.

If we consider this passage at the surface, one of the most basic principles of Adonai, the Maker of all things is he will surely reward obedience when he can, and he will assuredly punish disobedience when he can. Therefore, itŐs not enough to merely listen to God's commands, and then ignore them or do them half-heartedly. ThatŐs disobedience. Moses tells us that we must listen to him, and then keep and do. ItŐs all about free choice, right? ItŐs like the Rush song "Freewill" where they say not choosing is choosing too. It's your choice to follow. Some kids think today that it's only cheating when you get caught. Some adults think it's moral if it's lawful. How many on Wall Street faced a situation where they had to choose between money and comfort or truth and God? I have a friend who managed a Brokerage Branch office for Merrill Lynch on who told me his personal values were challenged all the time. He eventually quit and became a marriage counselor. We had lunch in La Jolla. False ideas about God will eventually corrupt a whole community. God doesn't want us to have a deluded and self-destructive independent attitude that Wall Street is the source of saving power.

Moses is telling us that if we listen, keep the commandments and do, then the Lord will keep and do. The almighty creator will be pleased with us and he will continue to uphold the Sinai covenant he made with the Jewish people; he must, he loves us; he made us; he will bless us from time to time us by doing good things to us; he will increase the Jewish population by adding beautiful children to it like Kevin my son and Danielle my daughter; he will diminish illness when he can; he will enable us to be prosperous; and he will grant Israel victory over itŐs enemies in battle.

In this passage, there are many prescriptive and there are many detailed messages worth briefly mentioning but itŐs not the focus on my talk.

There's warnings Against Idolatry
There's Rules on Clean and Unclean Food
There's Verbage on Tithes
There rules on the Observe of Passover
The Feast of Weeks
The Feast of Booths
Now let's conclude with more about the Mountain Peaks and Desert Valleys that I have already mentioned and why Moses is doing what he doing at this time.

We can observe that sunrise ends in sunset. Peak than Valley
Stability creates instability. Peak than Valley
Births end in death. Peak than Valley -
Booms create busts in like in 2001 and again in 2008. Peak than Valley.
What did we really learn from the 2001 bust?

Here's what I think. A Valley or the Desert is a time when you long for what is missingÉ The purpose is to learn about life. Our country is going through this now and will be better in the future. The Jewish people went through this for 40 years. We can expect testings, difficult circumstances, but understand that they are all seen by a loving GOD who can instruct us, and with every trial there is a way to make it successfully through to the end, and through these trials God will purify you and your most precious and valuable faith.

Now a Peak is a time when you appreciate what you haveÉ The purpose is to celebrate lifeÉ There are a lot of great Jewish traditions for this. Moses is saying you must appreciative when you are in good times, and to manage your good times wisely. Be humble and grateful. Practice the good things that got you there. Make things better. Do not become lazy and arrogant. Do more for others. Save your resources for your upcoming valleys. It is the Ego that is the ultimate threat and this will separate us from God. Moses is trying to tell us there is danger in the Peak. You don't reach the "promised land" and then itŐs life happily ever after. The key question Moses is asking is how do you make Good times work for you. Even more pertinent is how do you make good times the Peak experience last a long time?

Moses understood this 3000 years ago. And, it got written down. The Torah is a blessing.

Success contains within it the seeds of failure! If we stayed close to Adania, and loved Him, and followed Him fully, and listened to Him and do what he says and live by His words, He will bring us into a very good promised land, with plentiful water, a land of milk and honey, or unlimited energy, great human potential. There is more human potential living today than in human history. We will have nuclear fusion in my lifetime. But too much success can be a nation's or and individual's undoing! If we are not careful, success creates pride which then results in failure. Adonai through Moses didnŐt want that to happen to Israel and He doesnŐt want that to happen to us.

So, what kind of life do we each chose to live? One of spiritual carelessness, with all the problems that will create? Or one of careful listening, keeping and doing, focusing on God and His Word. If you choose the way of obedience and faithfulness, know that blessedness will be yours - along with trials that purify along the way. Let me leave you with this last verse from Jeramiah 6:11 which builds on this Torah passage: For I know what plans I have in mind for you,' says ADONAI,'plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future. I believe this verse has a very powerful message: God knows us as a people, God knows us personally, He has a plan for us, and allows us to find hope in Him. One last thought, Jane, I believe that Santa Cruz will be a personal peak for you, and to all the people in job and life transitions, we need to thank God for giving us the courage this year to move through these valleys and the lessons that will result.