A Thought on Parshas Devarim

"...v'hinchem ha'yom k'kochavei ha'shomayim la'rov..." "...and here you are today as many as the stars above..." (1:10) The Torah compares us here to stars. Not only are we somehow like the stars, but we are as vast or as many as the stars. That is a nice comparison, whatever it might mean. Why the subtle, almost cynical, tone, you might ask, as I write "whatever it might mean"? I write this because in many other places, we are instead compared to the sand, which is also numerous yet has a lower and less lofty connotation than "stars of the heavens." Moreover, we are at times reminded that we are not great or numerous at all, but rather, we are the tiniest of the nations (7:7). What then is the significance of this comparison to the many stars? We are actually a small nation among some very enormous countries and their teeming billions of people. ibn Shu'aib observes that the word "rov" is not a quantitative adjective but rather a statement of our quality. The word can mean "great" as in 'very big' but it can also mean "great" as in powerful and mighty. The Torah here means that we are greater and more powerful than the stars above, which is a way of telling us that we have "dominion" over the stars and planets (from the conjugation of the word rov as in rabbonim, leaders; a rav is a person in authority). ibn Shu'aib's understanding of the verse actually flows better with its structure: it reads, and means, you are, compared to the stars of the heavens, the greater ones. How are we the rabbanim of the stars? Our sages often speak about the "Sar" (general) of Esav or of other nations, which means the "star" or "mazal" associated with that particular nation's role and mission on this planet. The nations of the world - ovadei kochavim u'mazalos - deify the stars and planets yet the deeper issue is that each nation is viewed as being "under" a specific G-d-based cosmic force - a mazal - which shapes a nation's fate and process. In contrast, our verse states that the Jewish nation is not "beneath" any mazal, but rather, we are greater than, or "lord over" every mazal. ibn Shu'aib brings a midrashic opinion which develops this view. We are meant to illuminate the world as do the stars. Ideally, we are brighter than the stars which shine at night, as the prophetess Devorah declares (Shoftim 5:31) "those who love Him blaze forth like the rising sun." The sun by day, the stars by night. Yet, our verse says, "and here you are today (ha'yom)", which places our star-like shining by day, not by night! What is the meaning of this comparison (other than for those of us familiar with astronomy who know that the sun is also a star, and that stars are suns, so conceivably, if we are like the stars by day, this means we are as bright as the sun, which is what Devorah tells us). ibn Shu'aib clarifies that we are only greater than the stars today: at specific times in our national history, we had the opportunity to ascend in greatness beyond the stars. That happened as we prepared to leave the desert for Israel. That happened as we lived according to halacha. That happened as long as we served HaShem in our own land. As long as the Divine Presence was among us, we indeed shone with glory and illuminated the earth as the stars shine in heaven. However, when we forfeit that role, when we shun halacha, when we reject the Divine Presence r'l, we no long carry that greatness. We are no longer above the stars. In fact, we encounter the nations which are greater in size, and we meet up with their mazalos. That is exile. That is darkness. That is now. It is now time to prepare for Shabbos Chazon. Good Shabbos on this final Tisha B'Av. D Fox