This Shabbat marks the passing of Joshua (1355-1245 BCE), who assumed the leadership of the people of Israel after Moses’ passing and led them into the Holy Land. He passed away at the age of 110, in the 28th year of his leadership. He was buried in his own estate in Timnat-Serach, in Mount Ephraim. For seven years, Joshua led the people in battle, defeating 31 kings and conquering their cities and territories, which comprised the bulk of the land west of the Jordan (Moses had conquered the lands on its eastern bank before his passing). For seven years after that, Joshua oversaw the process of dividing the land amongst the 12 tribes of Israel and allocating a portion to each family.

‍

In addition to his roles as leader and warrior, Joshua was the second link in the chain of the transmission of Torah, receiving it from Moses and passing it on to the "Judges" who succeeded him.

‍

Chabad.org

‍

This Shabbat we continue studying the Parshah Acharei, which warns against bringing korbanot (animal or meal offerings) anywhere but in the Holy Temple. Although translated as “sacrifice” or “offering”, the Hebrew word korban means none of these. Korban means to get close to Gd. And, at a time when we do not have a Holy Temple in Jerusalem, how does a warm- blooded creature built of meat and bones get close to G-d?

‍

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman writes: “Gd is beyond heaven and earth. We are stuck firmly at the ground floor. A wild beast kicks and screams inside us, forever running us off the path of reason and throwing us back to the ground. So the Torah says: Take that animal of yours. Make it your korban to Gd. Work with that animal. Teach it. Tame it. Bring it to do good things—with its heart, its guts, with all its earthiness. Let it have even just a sip of Torah’s divine wisdom.

‍

No aroma is more pleasing to Gd than such a korban, than a human beast roasted and spiced with the divine. With such a korban, all of Gd's creatures rise higher, and as they rise, a burst of divine light is released into your world. A light, says the Zohar, beyond any light even the highest of heavens could contain. There is no greater closeness to Gd than one small act of the divine performed by your beast inside.”

‍

During the person's lifetime, we get lost in the details. But when death strikes, we have the chance to study the kaleidoscope, the bigger picture, with utmost clarity. And at that point, we discover – a bit too late – the beautiful life led by the deceased. Do we, Gd forbid, need to lose someone before we can truly find him? Must "beloved husband, father and brother" be a postmortem adage, or can we announce it throughout his lifetime as well? Let us make up while our family member is living, and not with their tombstone. Let us forgive people, not spirits. Let's see the good in each other now.

‍

From an article by Rabbi Levi Avtzon

‍

The inner connection between a Jew and Gd can suffuse every aspect of life. When it does, the struggle of day-to-day existence cannot threaten dedication to the Eternal, for in this state, a mortal is continuously connected to Gd, with no possibility of separation.

‍

Mankind as a whole will experience such continuous connection in the Era of the Redemption, when the Gdliness which permeates the world will be revealed: “The world will be filled with the knowledge of Gd, like the waters that cover the ocean bed.” Surrounded by manifest Gdliness, mankind will naturally, and spontaneously choose to obey His voice.

‍

From the article “Souls Afire” by Rabbi Eli Touger

‍

I knew I was being targeted, manipulated and controlled, yet I didn’t care. When I turned over the cover of Wine Spectator and saw “the car,” I “knew” I had to have it. Even though a part of me knew I was being used, I just wanted what I wanted (or thought I wanted), and I put the critical thinking part of me on hold.

‍

Being a free human being, however, is to be mindful, present, conscious—and thinking critically. And so even though I know we left the slavery of Egypt a few thousand years ago, the question is whether Egypt has fully left us? Just as we were not supposed to be slaves to Pharaoh, neither are we supposed to be slaves to habit, emotions and unconscious reactions. Gd doesn’t want us to do things blindly in a knee-jerk way without enlisting the support of our rational faculties. Neither does G-d want us not to do something, where we refrain from acting in the same mindless manner.

‍

Leaving Egypt was not just a physical change in geography. Transitioning from a slave mentality to a free-willed human being that could embody holiness was the real journey; it’s the journey of a lifetime. The message here is not to be enslaved by emotions, desires and unconscious habitual behaviors. On the other hand, we are not to be detached from our feelings and live in a purely cerebral world. It’s a fallacy to think that’s even possible and futile to pit these aspects of us as adversaries. Rather, they are an inseparable part of the human condition. The trick, however, is to be conscious, so that these support and enrich each other.

‍

In the last few Torah portions, we learned about the mind/body/soul connection, where improper negative speech, borne of improper thoughts and emotions, manifests as physical ailments on the body. In this Torah portion, we need to understand how emotions drive thoughts, and thoughts drive emotions. Be not a slave to either, but integrate them so that you can be in the driver’s seat.

‍

From an article by Hanna Perlberger

‍