Vaetchanan 2024

בס”ד

By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

This painting of Hebron and Maarat Hamachpela exhibits many gateways. We thought this befits this parsha which contains the portion of Shema, containing the obligation to place a mezuza on our gateways. There is also a deeper connection in this matter, since Hebron-Maarat Hamachpela is seen in Torah sources as a gateway to the afterlife, where all souls ascend to Heaven. The opening verse of Shema, which is also the opening verse of the mezuza proclaims that Hashem is One. In a Kabbalistic reference, this “oneness” of Hashem also entails that Hashem unites all matters of reality in His United Plan, a matter dealt at great detail in the teachings of the Ramchal, called “Hanhagat Hayihud.” In any case, this matter as well also hints to the power of Hebron whose name means unity, and also unites us around our common ancestral roots and around our Holy Land.
Some of the gateways here are painted in blue, which seems to hint to the heavens. The idea in this may be that the gateway represents the connection of man to the building, made of earthly material. Man represents the soul coming from the Divine, associated with “Heaven.” Thus, the coonection to this Divine Heavenly level, i.e the gateway to the building, is painted in blue resembling the sky/heaven. The majority of the painting seems to depict the ancient city of Hebron, which is at higher altitude than Maarat Hamachpela, considered in the “valley.” Indeed, this can be an interpretation of the verse “and he sent him [Yosef] from the valley of Hebron.” It is known that Hebron is in a mountainous region, but the verse may be saying that Yosef was sent from Maarat Hamachpela found in the relatively lower “valley” of Hebron. It is known that our Sages explain that the “valley/depth” of Hebron hints to the “deep” plan that Israel be sent into Exile in Egypt for the sake of their Exodus, which began through the sending of Yosef from Hebron and his subsequently being sold to Egypt by his brothers. The sale of Yosef and its cause of the Exile of Egypt is the first sin known among our People to cause exile. Today, during the days surrounding Tisha Ba’av and the Shabat Nachamu we deepen our thoughts towards the causes of our current Exile. One important key in this matter is pondering the “depths of Hebron,” Hebron also standing for our deep “connection” to the Holy Land. Our Sages say that the first Tisha Ba’av was when our ancestors sinned in the Sin of the Spies, which called for severing from the Holy Land. Only twenty years ago, also on Tisha Ba’av Jews were expelled and severed from Gush Katif and North Shomron. Today, in the present war, we see the dire outcome of this matter. Let us deepen our thoughts on this and bring repent on this matter, so we can rectify this matter, win the war, and bring rectification on the Sin of the Spies forever, bringing us to full comforting and redemption – Nachamu Nachamu Ami!

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