“The brain weighs only three pounds, yet it is the most complex object in the solar system.”�Michio Kaku, The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind

“I beseeched G‑d at that time.” (3:23)

“Moses prayed 515 prayers—the numerical value (gematria) of va’etchanan, “and I beseeched”—to be allowed to enter the Land.”

Midrash Rabbah cited at Chabad.org

“Prayer is called by ten names: Cry, howl, groan, song, encounter, stricture, �prostration, judgment and beseeching.”� (These synonyms for prayer are derived from: Exodus 2:23–24, Jeremiah 7:16�Psalms 18:6, Deuteronomy 9:25, Psalms 106:30 and Deuteronomy 3:23)

Midrash Rabbah cited at Chabad.org

וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל־יְהֹוָה בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר׃

“Rabbi Samlai taught: For what reason did Moses our teacher greatly 

desire to enter Eretz Yisrael? Did he need to eat of its produce, or did he need to satisfy himself from its goodness? Rather, this is what Moses said: Many mitzvot were commanded to the Jewish people, and some of them can be fulfilled only in Eretz Yisrael, so I will enter the land in order that they can all be fulfilled by me. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Do you seek to enter the land to perform these mitzvot for any reason other than to receive a reward? I will ascribe you credit as if you had performed them and you will receive your reward, as it is stated: “Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12)...”

“Rabbi Samlai proceeds to expound the verse “Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great” to mean that he will receive reward. One might have thought that he will receive reward like the later ones and not like the earlier ones, so the verse states: “And he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,” meaning like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were mighty in Torah and in mitzvot. “Because he bared his soul unto death,” meaning he gave himself over to death on behalf of the Jewish people, as it is stated: “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I prayYou, out of Your book that You have written” (Exodus 32:32). “And was numbered with the transgressors,” meaning that he was counted among those who died in the desert, for, just like them, he did not enter Eretz Yisrael. “Yet he bore the sin of many,” as he atoned for the incident of the Golden Calf. “And made intercession [yafgia] for the transgressors,” as he requested mercy for the sinners of Israel so that they should engage in repentance…”

Sotah 14a, The William Davidson Talmud, Sefaria.org

“When a person desires something from G-d, he should pray to receive it solely as an undeserved gift, and not as payment commensurate with his deeds. Furthermore, he should not insist that G-d acquiesce to his prayer, but graciously accept G-d’s response, whether it is to grant his request or not (Likutey Moharan I, 20:5)”�

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“The connection between what you have or who you are, with what you want and who you desire to become, is forged by longing. The קוה / the hoping for creates the קו / the line, the connection. When Moshe observed the Holy Land, there was a greater longing within him for the Land and, through that, an even closer connection to the Land.”

R’ Dovber Pinson. Awakenings: Drawing Life from the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 380). IYYUN PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.

“Longing and desire can be divided into four levels, in ascending order: 1. ‘Physical desire’, a yearning for more stuff, physical objects, and the like. 2. ‘Emotional desire’, a desire to be loved and to be open to love. 3. ‘Intellectual desire’, wanting to know more of the world and of one’s self. 4. ‘Spiritual desire’, a yearning to transcend or receive a Divine revelation — or even deeper, a desire to inhabit the ‘Holy Land’, the unification of Heaven and earth (‘Holy’ is transcendence, Heaven; ‘Land’ is immanence, earth).”

R’ Dovber Pinson. Awakenings: Drawing Life from the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 380). IYYUN PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.

“And this is the lesson for us: �To continue to pray for Mashiach again and again, until we are finally answered.”

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Gutnick Edition Chumash, Volume 5:29, cited in Torha Club: Shadows of the Messiah, First Fruits of Zion, Volume V, pg. 935

“The connection between what you have or who you are, with what you want and who you desire to become, is forged by longing. The קוה / the hoping for creates the קו / the line, the connection. When Moshe observed the Holy Land, there was a greater longing within him for the Land and, through that, an even closer connection to the Land.”

R’ Dovber Pinson. Awakenings: Drawing Life from the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 380). IYYUN PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.

“Longing and desire can be divided into four levels, in ascending order: 1. ‘Physical desire’, a yearning for more stuff, physical objects, and the like. 2. ‘Emotional desire’, a desire to be loved and to be open to love. 3. ‘Intellectual desire’, wanting to know more of the world and of one’s self. 4. ‘Spiritual desire’, a yearning to transcend or receive a Divine revelation — or even deeper, a desire to inhabit the ‘Holy Land’, the unification of Heaven and earth (‘Holy’ is transcendence, Heaven; ‘Land’ is immanence, earth).”

R’ Dovber Pinson. Awakenings: Drawing Life from the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 380). IYYUN PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.

“Wherever a person’s thoughts are, �that’s where he fully is.”

Baal Shem Tov, Keter Shem Tov�Translated by R’ Yehoshua Starrett, BST Publishing

וְעַל־כֵּן בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁחוֹשֵׁב הַשֵּׂכֶל,

שָׁם כָּל הָאָדָם.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said in addition: "Whoever puts the words of Torah on his heart [mind] is saved from thoughts of sin, thoughts [fear] of the sword, fear of tyranny, idle thoughts, thoughts of the evil inclination, thoughts of sexual licentiousness, thoughts of evil women, thoughts of idolatry, fear of being controlled by others, and obsessive thoughts..."

Tanna d'Bei Eliyahu Zuta, Ch. 16 cited at Aish.com, Moray HaAish: Thoughts of Sin, R. Ari Kahn

“You already know the teaching "Thoughts of sin are kashe, more difficult, than sin." (Yoma 29a) . . . If a person sins, it is generally due to circumstances which result from his being a physical creature - that is, a person will sin due to the animal side of himself. But thoughts are the treasure of a person which follow his "form" (his image of G-d) and if a person sins with his thoughts, then he has sinned with his greatest asset ... because the purpose of the mind is to cling to G-d, not to slip below [to the animal level]. (Guide for the Perplexed 3:8)

R’ Ari Kahn, Moray HaAish: Thoughts of Sin, Aish.com

“The mind is man’s very essence. Wherever a person’s thoughts are, that is where he himself is — all of him. This explains why it is so important to avoid all bad thoughts. Otherwise that is where your place will be. You must force yourself to think good thoughts so that you will be worthy of knowing and understanding God. Then your place will be with Him: you will be merged with Him. The greater your perception of God the more you will become merged with him, and then you will achieve eternal life (Ibid. 11).”

Likutey Etzot, Knowledge, Breslov Research Institute, Sefaria.org

וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ׃

“The deeper significance of this law: The head-tefillin represents the mind; the arm-tefillin represents action. Both mind and deed are to be enlisted in man’s service of his Creator. Doing, however, must come first, as the people of Israel proclaimed at Sinai, “We will do and we will hear (comprehend).” Hence the law that the arm-tefillin is to be bound first. Furthermore, while it is possible to conceive of a temporary state in which doing exists without understanding, understanding that is divorced from deed is utterly worthless. Hence the law that “at any time that there is tefillin between your eyes, there shall be both.” In the words of our sages (Talmud, Yevamot 109b), "Whoever says, ‘I have only Torah,’ does not have Torah, either.”

The Lubavitcher Rebbe cited at Chabad.org

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as YHWH your God commanded you.

​

You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, or your ox, your donkey or any of your livestock or the outsider within your gates…

​

You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and YHWH your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm, therefore YHWH your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates…

for in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day, therefore YHWH blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11

“Zachor (Remember) and Shamor (Keep) were pronounced in a single utterance, an utterance which the mouth cannot utter, nor the ear hear.”

Shevu’ot 20b, Soncino Press Edition

“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:24-27

"R. Eleazar b. Azariah says, "Anyone whose wisdom is greater than his deeds - to what is he to be likened? To a tree with abundant foliage, but few roots. When the winds come, they will uproot it and blow it down. . . But anyone whose deeds are greater than his wisdom - to what is he to be likened? To a tree with little foliage, but abundant roots. For even if all the winds in the world were to come and blast at it, they will not move it from its place . . . "�Mishnah, Pirke Avot 3:17, Translated by Jacob Neusner, Yale University Press, pg. 681

^“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the Torah of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”�Romans 8:5-9, NKJV (Modified)

^“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ²⁰ But you have not so learned Messiah, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Yeshua: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:17-24, NKJV (Modified)

“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”  Yeshua answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”�

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This preamble teaches us that we must listen closely and pay attention to what we are saying, as one says to another, “I have something very important and wonderful to tell you—so listen carefully!" (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 164a)

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: NUMBERS - DEUTERONOMY - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 5649-5652). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

T

The L‑rd is one (6:4)

G‑d . . . is one, and His unity is unlike any other unity in existence. He is not “one” as in “one species” which includes many individuals. Nor is He “one” as in “one body” which includes various parts and dimensions. Rather, [His is] a unity the likes of which there is no other unity in the world.

Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Fundamentals of Torah 1:7, cited at Chabad.org

The only way a person can have compassion on himself and attain his eternal goal is by renewing himself daily. Just as yesterday will never return, so too, today will not return. Each day is a separate, new creation by G-d and each individual who is alive on that day is able to benefit from it. Even if one’s deeds until now were questionable, today is when everything starts and begins anew (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 223a)

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: NUMBERS - DEUTERONOMY - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 5866-5870). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

The main call for renewal each day is the Shema, the declaration of faith. Each day, a person is tested in his faith; thus, the importance of renewal is emphasized in the Shema (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 164a)

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: NUMBERS - DEUTERONOMY - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 5853-5855). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one G-d, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  Now when Yeshua saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of G-d.”

Mark 12:28-34

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הַסּוֹפֵר אָמְנָם רַבִּי יָפֶה דִבַּרְתָּ כִּי אֱלֹהִים אֶחָד הוּא וְאֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּוֹ׃

אַתָּה֙ הׇרְאֵ֣תָ לָדַ֔עַת כִּ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה ה֣וּא הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ין ע֖וֹד מִלְּבַדּֽוֹ׃

“It has been clearly demonstrated to you that HaShem alone is G-d, there is none else.”

Deut 4:35

^“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Messiah Yeshua. ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:6-9, NKJV (Modified)

^“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶ For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Messiah.”

1 Corinthians 2:13-16 �(NKJV, Modified)

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”�Jeremiah 31:31-33