Forty years.
That's how long Moses led the Jewish people through their highs and lows. He witnessed the Exodus, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Golden Calf, the sin of the spies, Korach's rebellion, countless complaints, and countless miracles.
This week we begin the fifth and final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy. Moses is no longer leading the people through these events. Instead, he looks back, preparing the Jewish people for the next chapter by reflecting on the last forty years.
As Moses looks back, he teaches us how to look back as well. We don't ignore our failures or pretend they never happened. We can choose to see them as stepping stones that help us grow and bring us closer to our purpose and our shared Jewish mission.
Moses was an extraordinary leader. But perhaps his greatest gift was teaching us how to have vision.
That is also the message of this week's Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat before the Ninth of Av, when we remember the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE.
It is called Shabbat Chazon ("Sabbath of Vision") because the Haftarah begins with the words, "The vision of Isaiah." The Haftarah speaks about the failures that led to the destruction of the Holy Temple, but it ends with a promise of redemption if the Jewish people return to G-d.
The vision is also personal to each of us.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, an eighteenth-century Chassidic master, taught that on this Shabbat, G-d gives every Jew a special vision of the Third Holy Temple. He explained it with the following parable:
A loving father has a beautiful garment waiting for his son. The son is still too young to wear it, so the father keeps it safely tucked away. Every so often, he takes it out and shows it to his son. He isn't trying to frustrate him. He wants his son to remember what is waiting for him and to grow into the person who will one day wear it.
So too, on this Shabbat, G-d gives each of us a special vision of the future He has prepared for the Jewish people. That vision changes how we see both our past and our present. What feels like failure is no longer the whole story. It is one side of the coin. On the other side is the opportunity for deeper growth, greater redemption, and a stronger connection to our purpose. When we hold onto that vision, even our setbacks can become stepping stones toward the future G-d is calling us to build.
How do we carry this vision into the rest of the year?
By adding more Judaism to our lives. Every mitzvah and every Torah class helps us see life with greater clarity. The teachings of Chassidus, in particular, help us develop that vision.
This Shabbat, allow yourself to envision a beautiful future world. Think of one small mitzvah or a Torah class you could join weekly. Small steps change the way we see ourselves, our lives, and our future.
Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yitzi Hein