D'Var Toarah

D’Var Torah  -  Nitsavim

Barry Fineman - September 12, 2012

The very last part of the portion reads as follows:

15 See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 For I command you this day, to love the Lord your G-d, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the Lord your G-d may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other G-ds, 18 I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life — if you and your offspring would live — 20 by loving the Lord your G-d, heeding His commands, and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the Lord swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.

Deuteronomy 30:15 - 30:20

This is an example of a direct cause-and-effect, and implies that if you sincerely obey and Love G-d, you receive a long, quality, abundant and healthy life and internal and spiritual gifts.  However, if you choose to disobey and deviate, you may have an early death (modern day: Uphill battle and struggles) because of your ill choices and your life will become more difficult and trying!

Wow! -  How does this powerful passage have meaning in today’s ‘modern’ world?  Who are todays Abrahams, Isaacs, and Jacobs(or Ruths and Esthers)? OUR heroes who have a powerful impact full of benevolence and show reverence?   And those who might have abused his/her privileges and/or power(s) and deemed him/herself and to his/her demise?

Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman, Irma Grese, Bill Gates, Adolf Hitler, Steve Jobs, Rev Sun Myung Moon, Princess Di, Oprah Winfrey, Harvey Milk……… all come to the forefront of my mind!   Each has made a major impact (Good, Bad, or “Indifferent”) in modern history. Some are obvious, and others, maybe not so much and not extremely clear to you.   I am NOT judging, as I, as a human should not; I think that is OUR G-d’s call – That of “Judgment” of humankind!  

Let’s pick two persons from the above list……………  They all have had impact on modern day history and all walked in the Shadow of G-d; Again, allow me to reiterate, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” ..Sounds like a Clint Eastwood Movie, or a National Convention?   Too easy to pick Hitler or Grese, as we all know what happened and really does not take that much sincere thought; Oprah and Princess Di are and or were so loving,Mandela is awesome, but too easy, So let’s work for it!   Steve Jobs & Harvey Milk are the two persons I’d like to present, and in short (very short), how this Torah portion, especially this last passage relates and pertains to these two men.

Steven Paul Jobs: STEVE JOBS-

 Visionary? YES! Genius? YES!  Life Changer?  YES!......He changed the manner in which we listen to music!  He changed the manner in which we communicate with one another!  He changed how we use the internet and access the internet?  YES!!  Animation Guru/genius? YES!  True Entrepreneur?  YES!

He made “I” global!  YES!   Unfortunately, with all of his off the chart successes, his “I” was selfish and he wasn’t a person who did right by many: Paternity suit against him, as he claimed he was sterile while his former partner AND daughter survived on welfare, demanding, degrading to co-workers/competition, egocentric, argumentative?  YES!   Philanthropist and giving like Bill Gates?  NO!  “One of his last impactful comments made publically, The late Apple chief then watched as history repeated itself, again getting upset when the iPod and other Apple devices were "almost copied verbatim by Android," Isaacson explained. "And then they licence it around promiscuously. And then Android starts surpassing Apple in market share, and this totally infuriated him," the author added. "It wasn't a matter of money. [Jobs] said: 'You can't pay me off, I'm here to destroy you.'"

Benevolent? Kind? Loving?  Giving of self, true philanthropist?  Friend of others?  Faithful? Observant to the word? NO! The word “I” come to mind! Unfortunately, Steve Jobs passed away, and his brilliant mind was lost at the young age of 56 of cancer.  

Harvey Bernard Milk:  Harvey Milk –

“American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.”

Controversy surrounded and built up around him until, He said later, "I finally reached the point where I knew I had to become involved or shut up"    Milk, ran for city council and lost his first attempts, but still helped people around him, and built a strong platform and relationships, and later finally won a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors.  He was a proud person and stood for justice and equality – “Causes were also important to Milk: he promoted larger and less expensive child care facilities, free public transportation, and the development of a board of civilians to oversee the police. He advanced important neighborhood issues at every opportunity” and honestly cared about his neighbors and surroundings to make it a better place and environment. 

Even when initiatives were being fought and not won by the popular vote, his take ; “We are educating………………..”

Harvey Milk was assassinated and died at the age of 48, even younger than Steve Jobs. Milk had a MAJOR impact on humankind, as did Jobs, but used a different manner of delivery.

Both men, and I sincerely mean both men were devoted to a T to what they believed in, and BOTH men had major impact in their own right.   Two different platforms of delivery, two different personas, two different temperaments, two different loves of mankind and what he could offer.

Both were lost way too early and way too young.  Both brilliant minds, and set the standards of their prospective fields, but yet both men differed in how they achieved and viewed SUCCESS!

“15 See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 For I command you this day, to love the Lord your G-d, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the Lord your G-d may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other G-ds, 18 I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”

I ask you to think please, where did these 2 men lie in your eyes?   Both showed ADVERSITY! Both had PROSPERITY!  Both were not of the “Norm”.   Both men perished from Earth too early.

Amen