This Week In The Torah

Parsha Vayeilech Devorim/Deut.Ch31/1-30

For I know your rebelliousness and your stiff neck; behold! while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebels against G-d---surely after my death. v.27

Why was Moses so pessimistic that the Jewish people would rebel after his death?

The Beis HaLevi explains in the following way: Apart from the physical world, which we are familiar with, there is a cosmic world, which we maybe completely unfamiliar with. However, according to Jewish belief it exists and is very much part of our lives.

Just as in the physical world there are laws of "nature," so too in the cosmic world there are laws of spirituality. One of these laws is that whenever a Jew does a mitzvah (commandment) it strengthens the power of that mitzvah in the cosmic worlds. This in turn makes it easier for others to do that mitzvah. For example, if someone in Jerusalem strengthens himself in the mitzvah of observing the Sabbath, it will add power to the mitzvah of Sabbath in the cosmic world, making it easier for someone in Paris to begin observing the Sabbath.

When Moses was alive, his performance of mitzvot was so great that it strengthened the cosmic world greatly. Yet, in spite of this, the Jewish people rebelled many times. Moses knew that after his death the cosmic worlds would be weaker, and it would therefore be easier for them to rebel.

This understanding of the verse has uncovered a new dimension to the power of our actions as Jews in this world. The good that results from the performance of a mitzvah is not restricted to our physical world; its effect is felt in the cosmic world, which in turns helps all Jews around the globe.