The Torah portion of Va’etchanan contains the Ten Commandments. According to our Sages, Moses prayed no less than 515 times to be allowed to enter the Land of Israel. The connection between the two is that when the Jewish people keep the Ten Commandments, it hastens the time when Moses’ request will be granted in full, and all Jews will enter the Land of Israel with Moshiach. (The Rebbe)
This Shabbat is known as “Shabbat Nachamu.” It is the first Sabbath after Tisha B’Av, when we commemorated the destruction of the Holy Temple. It is named “Shabbat Nachamu” for the first words of the Haftorah which begins, “Nachamu, Nachamu – Console, console yourselves, My people.”
Our Sages explain the double use of the word “console”: “The Jewish people committed a twofold sin... received a twofold punishment... and are likewise comforted twofold.” Elsewhere our Sages comment, “Because its the Torah’s commandments are doubled, so too are its consolations doubled.”
Why this emphasis on the two? The terms “twofold” and “double” refer to two different dimensions. Everything in a Jew’s life - the Torah and its commandments, the destruction of the Holy Temple and our consolation – reflects this duality, for everything in the world is composed of both a physical and a spiritual component.
A Jew is a mixture of body and spirit which together form a complete being. A Jew is considered whole when both his body and soul are working together to serve G-d.
Mitzvot (commandments) are likewise composed of these two dimensions. Every mitzva contains a spiritual component – the intentions behind it, and a physical component – the way the mitzva is performed.
This is what our Sages referred to when stating that the Torah’s mitzvot are “doubled.”
The Holy Temple itself also reflected this duality. The Temple was a physical structure. Yet, the G-dly light with which it was illuminated was infinite in nature. Its destruction was therefore a double blow as it affected both of these aspects.
When the Holy Temple is rebuilt in the Messianic era our consolation will be doubled because it will encompass both dimensions: not only will the physical structure of the Temple be restored, but its G-dly revelation will also return.
