Rabbi Minkowicz Weekly Torah Lesson Parsha Ha'azinu 5781

welcome to this week's torah lesson this week's torah portion is pasha's the question of the week is who are we spiritual or physical so in this week's torah portion torah begins and it says hazinu speak about the same idea about listening however hazino means listening from close this ma is from listening from far but if you pay attention what does the torah say when you're listening from closer to reference to heaven this is my hearing from far it says earth so the question is aren't we closer to earth than to heaven and the commentaries say it's referring to moisture of anu and since moisture was a godly human being so for him heavenly ideas was much closer and that's why it says however earth is further from him he was more spiritual and that's why it says sich moritz now we know the altar brings in tanya he says that every one of us have a spark of moisture so therefore when it says this is referring to each and every one of us that for us has heavenly ideas spirituality is much closer to us but ourets obviously is further do you ever ask a simple question we know that we are living a soul in a body we have a physical body we're living in this world which is materialistic also we know that god created the world in isabel god had a a desire lee slays he wanted to have a dwelling place down in this physical world he wanted us to be in this world so if he wanted us to be in this world he put us in a physical world so seemingly aren't we closer to the physicality and if that's the case why didn't say no investment so he explains he says if you go on further in the verse in the torah portion it says what does that mean that kela kashem ammo that us the jewish people of hashem the amo we have a part of hashem the neshama of hashem the godly spark of hashem is in each and every one of us it's given to us as an inheritance and when someone gives you an inheritance it's yours so our core thereby says based on that verse is arnashama that's who we are and as we see every single morning we get up before we even start today before we make any blessings or any prayers what's the first thing we say i give thanks to you hashem which means we have a personal internal relationship with hashem so who are we we are our essences our neshama that's who we really are yes hashem put us as ammo as his nation into this world to yes make a deal with him and yes he put us in a body but that's not who we are who we are is our nashamah we're here to make an impact in the physical world and that's why it says how zeno and even reference to us because we are closer to spirituality based on summer being within us visishma it's an earthly things physicality is further from us so the answer the question who are we spiritual or physical we are spiritual human beings trying to bring godliness into this physical world this week's torah lesson is dedicated to memory of baruch bernardi labe and yosef and rachel baslipa may their souls be elevated by the torah we're studying in their memory thanks so much for joining us for our weekly torah lesson for more information please see our website swf.org have a great blessed week and a blessed year