The State of My Soul on the Day of the Release of the Bodies of the Murdered Hostages - February 20, 2024

One of my most fundamental theological beliefs - one that has remained unchanged despite the many changes in religious affiliations throughout my life - is that human beings are created b'tzelem and bid'mut Elokim - in the image (Genesis 1:26 - 27) and likeness (Genesis 1:26, 5:1) of G!d.

In the first chapter of Tomer Devorah, my favorite Jewish text outside the fundamental Jewish text of the Tanach, the fundamental rabbinic texts of Mishnah, & Gemara, and the liturgy, the Ramak indicates that the image (tzelem) is the body and the likeness (d'mut) refers to the actions.

It is very difficult today to remain steadfast in this belief while witnessing the gratuitous viciousness and cruelty of the Hamas terrorists in handing over the bodies of those they so brutally and senselessly murdered. Tomer Devorah explores the Thirteen Supernal Attributes of Mercy from Micah 7:18 - 20 that G!d possesses and which we are to emulate. Today, I must leave it to G!d to exercise that mercy and forgiveness. Perhaps tomorrow, I can try to exercise them - but not today.

Yom Kippur 5785

As we prepare to begin Yom Kippur, I'm thinking about the last three verses of the Haftarah for Mincha, Micah 7:18-20, added on to the book of Jonah:

Who is a G!d like unto You, that pardons the iniquity, And passes by the transgression of the remnant of G!d's heritage? G!d retains not G!d's anger for ever, Because G!d delights in mercy.

G!d will again have compassion upon us; G!d will subdue our iniquities; And You wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob, lovingkindness to Abraham, As You have sworn unto our ancestors from the days of old.

In the opening words of Tomer Devorah, Rabbi Moshe Cordevero makes the point that because we are made in the image and likeness of G!d, our actions must imitate G!d's actions as well. He goes on, in the first chapter of that work, to expound the Thirteen Supernal Attributes of Mercy contained in these three verses and consider how we might imitate them.

May we, on this Yom Kippur, reflect on how we have fallen short from imitating G!d's attributes in all of our actions and may we be given the strength to let these attributes shine forth in all of our deeds in the coming year.

G'mar chatimah tovah!

Possible reason for the Ramak's choice of the title Tomer Devorah - Megillah 14a

Tomer Devorah by the Ramak is one of my favorite Jewish texts - it takes the Thirteen Supernal Attributes of Mercy from Micah 7:18-20 (different from the Thirteen Attributes taken from Shemot, although I have one siddur that has them superimposed over one another in the text of Tashlich, the practice of which is inspired by a phrase in these verses from Micah) and gives instruction on how we as humans can emulate these attributes of mercy that G!d possesses. That's the first chapter - the rest of the short work describes how to apply this through the ten sfirot, even toward the end giving a schedule of which sfirot are most active at a particular time of day.

But one thing that has puzzled me since discovering the work a couple of years ago is the title, Tomer Devorah, "Palm-Tree of Devorah", which is not referenced in the work - indeed, the only tree of any kind mentioned is the tree of klippot - hardly a tree one would compare with the tomer Devorah!

But I may have discovered the reason in today's daf.

מָה תָּמָר זֶה אֵין לוֹ אֶלָּא לֵב אֶחָד — אַף יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר לֹא הָיָה לָהֶם אֶלָּא לֵב אֶחָד לַאֲבִיהֶן שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם.

"Alternatively, the verse means: Just as a palm tree has only one heart, as a palm tree does not send out separate branches, but rather has only one main trunk, so too, the Jewish people in that generation had only one heart, directed to their Father in Heaven." (Megillah 14a)

Perhaps the Ramak is exhorting us, through his work Tomer Devorah, to have only one heart, directed to G!d, manifested in living out the 13 Supernal Attributes of Mercy.