שבת חזון תשפ״ו: From the Bitter to the Sweet

If I asked you to choose an adjective that describes what Torah is, what would you say? I asked this very question to an eager group of 6th-grade religious school students, and their responses varied greatly. I expected answers like boring or unenjoyable, but I also received unexpected words such as meaningful, delightful, pleasant, and even enjoyable. A word that then came up, though, in all of this was the word “Sweet.”

Every single morning here at Adat Shalom, right before we study words of Torah, we say the following words,

וְהַעֲרֶב–נָא ה׳ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָתְךָ בְּפִֽינוּ וּבְפִי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

“May You make the words of Your Torah sweet in our mouths and in the mouths of the house of Israel, Your people”

Reflecting on this blessing, Dan Nichols, a Jewish Musician, expressed it in his song: “Sweet as honey, sweet as honey, sweet as honey on our tongue.” As Jews, we choose daily to embody the feeling and thought of sweetness. Even, according to tradition, the way that we mark a child’s 3rd birthday is rooted in reinforcing the idea that the Torah is sweet.

As so many of our texts and traditions illuminate, as even through the act of dipping apples in honey on Rosh Hashanah, Jews LOVE sweetness. That is why it is “bittersweet” to say that our tradition can sting as well.

This Shabbat morning, we begin the fifth and final book of the Torah, Devarim (Deuteronomy). In the 40th year of wandering in the wilderness, Benei Yisrael is nearing entry into Eretz Yisrael, and Moshe (Moses) begins delivering a lengthy speech, recalling their journey after leaving Mount Sinai.

The portion begins:

“אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑”

“These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan” (Devarim 1:1).

Interestingly, as a past, previous D’var Torah participant mentioned that instead of reading אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים as “these are the words,” we should read it as “אֵ֣לֶּה דְּבֹרִים,” meaning “These are the Bees.” The Midrash explains: “What is this bee? Its honey is sweet, and its sting is bitter. Similarly, the words of Torah: those who violate them are punished (the sting and bitterness), while those who observe them will merit life (sweetness).”

In essence, honey is a sweet and pure treat that provides quick energy, much like how the wisdom of the Torah nourishes the soul—bringing joy, comfort, and divine insight to its students. However, just as a bee can sting to defend itself, the words of the Torah serve as a stern guide that illuminates and sanctions those who intentionally violate its moral and ethical laws. In mystical tradition, the bee also symbolizes balance: while the Torah demands great kindness and compassion (chesed), it also requires boundaries, discipline, and justice, akin to a protective sting.

These words are meaningful not only for contemplating our Torah portion but, not surprisingly, our Jewish Calendar. For those, like me, who follow the wisdom of the Jewish Calendar, it’s clear that we’ve been approaching the most bitter days and another set of the seven most sensitive, vulnerable weeks on the calendar. About two and a half weeks ago, we observed Shivah Asar B’Tammuz, the 17th of Tammuz. On this day, it is taught that:

1.   Moses broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf.
2.   During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the Jews were forced to cease offering the daily sacrifices due to the lack of sheep.
3.   Apostomos, a Greek Leader, burned the holy Torah.
4.   An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.
5. The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in 69 CE, after a lengthy siege.

This Shabbat, known as Shabbat Hazon or the “Shabbat of Vision,” carries a tone of somberness and mourning. Our Torah Portion begins to depict a future without Moses, our revered teacher and leader. Additionally, through the Haftorah reading, we hear the poignant, tearful Eicha Trope, which will guide us into Tisha B’Av later this week. Tisha B’Av, occurring this year from Wednesday evening into Thursday at full dark, commemorates the destruction of the Temples — the first in 586 BCE and the second in 70 CE. It also traditionally involves remembering various calamities that have befallen the Jewish people. During this day, we sit on the floor, recite the Book of Eicha, and abstain from food, drink, bathing, and pleasures. In fact, the same laws that link themselves to Yom Kippur are the same laws for Tisha B’Av. It goes to show how serious this day is.

Considering the combination of our Torah Portion and the Jewish Calendar, it is worth noting that Parshat Devarim is the one we read every year before Tisha B’Av. The word “Eichah” appears eighteen times in our Tanach, each time conveying a rhetorical lament, and our Torah Portion alludes to the sting of this moment.

אֵיכָה אֶשָּׂא לְבַדִּי טׇרְחֲכֶם וּמַשַּׂאֲכֶם וְרִיבְכֶם׃

“How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering!” (Devarim 1:12).

Its plaintive nature evokes the rhetorical nature of the question; there truly is no answer, only a moan, and a cry of despair.

Interestingly, the same Hebrew letters, when vocalized differently, also appear in Genesis. After Adam and Chava eat from the tree of knowledge, God asks them, “Ayekah,” meaning, “Where are you?” This question is not about physical location but about their moral state—whether they have grown or learned anything. Rabbi James Michaels, the Director of Pastoral Care at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington in Rockville, MD, explains, “Our sages have traditionally looked at the rhetorical ‘eichah’ alongside the genuine question ‘ayekah.’ Yes, we mourn our people’s tragedies and feel anguish over their calamities. But the true inquiry is: where do we stand now? What lessons have we drawn from our history?”

I mentioned that on Tisha B’Av, it is traditional to sit on the floor and mourn. In fact, if you sit next to me, you will watch tears flow from my eyes as Eicha is chanted and we recall what happened to our people. However, our tradition tells us that we are not meant to stay in a state of Mourning forever. You see, midday on Tisha B’Av, we begin to transition from uncomfortable to comfortable. We go from sitting to standing and from feeling the “sting” to making “honey.” Even though everything that generations of Jews prior to us had been broken, we continue to stand up and rebuild, both personally and communally, for the better. As we sing in Lecha Dodi every Friday night, “Arouse yourself, arouse yourself, for your light has come; arise, shine. Awake, awake, utter songs of praise; for Hashem’s glory is revealed to your gaze” (Lecha Dodi, Siddur Lev Shalem, p. 24).

Today is Shabbat Chazon, the “Shabbat of Visions,” and while mourning isn’t observed on Shabbat, we have mourned during the intense first days of the Nine Days and will continue to mourn this upcoming week. At this moment, we face a choice: remain on the ground or rise. Every day except Shabbat, this idea of “rising up” is reflected in the words of Tachnun. Traditionally, one performs Nefilat Apayim, placing the arm on the forehead, then sings “Shomeir Yisrael” and sits upright. Eventually, at the words “As for us, we know not what to do; but our eyes are upon You,” we stand up. This symbolizes that grief is not eternal; we remain resilient, guided by faith. Similarly, we can mourn what has happened to the people of Israel and ourselves, but we are bound not to remain silent or dwell in destruction. By learning from our history—”Where we have come from”—and drawing on our resilience, we continue the enduring chain of our Jewish story, ensuring that history does not repeat itself, even when it feels like it might.

We are a people with the responsibility and obligation to Zachor (Remember) and Kavod (Honor) the past. Despite facing our most difficult times—collectively with the people, land, and State of Israel—we remain resilient, like bees rebuilding and creating sweetness, joy, and light. It is this rebuilding that ultimately leads us to the Ya’amim Noraiim, the High Holiday Season.

In the words of Rabbi Irwin Groner of Blessed Memory,

“We need you to be Jewish.

The World Needs you to be Jewish.

God needs you to be Jewish. 

You need to be Jewish” (p. 13).

On this Shabbat of Parshat Devarim and Shabbat Hazon, as we approach Tisha B’Av, may we find the space to mourn our history while also being inspired to “uri, uri”—to rise from our sorrows and rebuild ourselves and our community for the better. Although a long journey remains to complete our tasks, let us remember that “we are a living people and we want to continue to live” (p. 14), so we can remain the bees of sweetness that our world, Eretz Israel, and our people greatly need.

Shabbat Chazon Shalom!

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