We clearly live in a confused world.
No, I’m not only referring to the inexplicable actions of someone so full of hatred, confusion, and instability – to take someone else’s life away in barbaric fashion.
I’m mainly referring to the rest of us.
Much of what I have been hearing the last few days – from all sides of the political and cultural spectrum are things like: “Where do we go from here?” or “We are at a boiling point. Civil war is around the corner.” “How can our society and country ever heal?”
On the one hand, it’s a somber and gloomy assessment of our current reality. It doesn’t lend itself to hope and inspiration.
But, perhaps – just perhaps – we can turn this pessimism itself into the tools for our recovery.
This week’s parsha Ki Tavo is a somber one indeed. Nearly half of its verses are named the “Tochachah” or “Rebuke.” In a a number of verses, Almighty G-d promises the Jewish people ample reward for following the Torah. But, afterwards, for over 50 verses, G-d lays out the terrible calamities that will befall us if we veer from the holy path.
In fact, the rebuke is so intense that many communities have various traditions surrounding it – ranging from who gets called for this aliya to the volume in which it is chanted.
It is told of Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch (the second Rebbe of Chabad) that in his youth he literally became ill for a couple of weeks upon hearing the Tochachah.
Obviously, Hashem wants us to follow in His ways, but why the intense wrath?
The Mystics have a different take. According to the Zohar, the Torah’s curses are hidden blessings. We won’t delve now into the mystical approach to understanding this.
But, we can pause to absorb the ethical meaning of blessings disguised as curses.
When someone “lays into you,” and you realize that this is a person who loves you and has your best interest at heart – hopefully, you take it to heart. Admonishment that is given with love has the power to strip away our typical defense mechanisms and layers of ego and confidence. It allows us to look introspectively and dig deeper into our hearts and souls.
Remarkably, when we peel off the superficial bravado and bluster that marks our daily routines and dialogue, we don’t need much advice. We intrinsically possess the core of goodness that brings us closer to each other and closer to our Creator.
This might be the blessing in disguise of the Tochachah. It serves as a wake-up call. A reality check.
Once our soul is awakened, we know what to do.
What we shouldn’t do is invest in the same old echo chambers and decisive blaming of others.
As the month of Elul teaches and demands, it’s time to look inward. It’s a time of introspection.
With humility and self-examination, we will indeed turn curses into blessings.