Devarim, Tisha Be’Av, and that Empty Argument Feeling
Have you ever thought about how we need to be right most of the time? We always seem to think that since we thought of it, it must be true and therefore, anyone with an opposing opinion is obviously deluded for some reason. The hardest thing in the world is... to admit that we were wrong—not because we think someone else was right, but because we just cant admit that we were wrong in the first place! Think back to an argument that you had recently. Do you remember when it was over; all you could think was that you were glad it was over and that it probably wasn’t worth it to begin with? This Shabbat, we will read Parshat Devarim (Things or Words), the beginning of the book of Deuteronomy in English. I have gone on-and-on in past blogs about how words and things are one-in-the-same (for a refresher, click here and here too if you dare), so why does Moses need to recap the adventures of the Israelites? The things were already said, so to speak... Maybe we should start with the fact that...