Devarim

 In our precious language, Hebrew, there is no word for "things."  Instead, we generally employ davarto denote "things."  But this is not accurate.  Davar means word.  For example, when God casts the universe He does so with devarim, not things but words.   The devarim uttered by the Celestial One then becomes the physical reality of that expression.

In much the same way, Judaism insists that there is no such thing as a word that exists as only a breath.  For from being vapid, every word becomes transformed into matter.   That is why devarimmeans both word and things.  Words are the vessels that hold reality.   Inside every word is a power that has its ultimate source in God.   That is why He created us and everything else with devarim.

There is more: our words, like God's, are also creative.  They mold and form.  Words capture an idea and then becomes reality.   Even in Torah, the first being was told by God to speak words, devarim, to the rest of creation.  That is precisely what Adam does.  He gives names to each of the Maker's works.   The names are not random; they are purposeful.  Example: Adam calls his mate- mother of all life (Eve).   Each of God’s other creations approach Adam for a davar.  The Torah says, “And God brought them [the created universe] to the man to see how he would call them…” Genesis 2:18

One of the primary issues during these Holy Days is to come to accept the power of our devarim.  Have they crafted life?   Have the words given meaning to someone's efforts?  Or have they destroyed?  Have they changed the world?  Or has the universe darker because of the curses we have uttered?   Has a person's potential become lessened because we have excoriated them with our devarim?

When we greet one another in these days leading up to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur we bless them by saying Leshana tova tikatave v’techame--"May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

What these day hopes to rouse in the human spirit is our mission: to use devarim to craft a more beautiful world.  Through devarim we become elevated as we elevate the universe.   Through devarim we create new universes.

A further thought... on the Haftarah:

 

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the Leopard Lie down with the kid … And the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw. [Isaiah 11: 6] 

The Haftara for this Shabbat prior to Tisha b’Av is the first chapter of Isaiah in which the prophet castigates the leaders of Jerusalem and their many followers whose practices were an abomination to God. Thus he bemoans that the once faithful city known for its righteousness and justice has lost its way. (1:21) God’s anger at this prostitution of the Temple worship, the prophet thunders, will inevitably lead to disaster. This selection is thus a fitting prelude to the fast of Tisha b’Av, the day set aside to mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temples.