Harry Potter and a Story Line for the Ages

              If I were to summarize the past few Parshiot- Shmot, Va'era, and Bo, a close attention to detail may make the story a bit more interesting for us. Our story begins as Paroh is taking control of the Jewish people and making life miserable. It was then that he was informed of a prophecy that a boy who had the power to defeat him would be born in the near future. This boy would be capable of freeing the Jewish people. He resorted to murdering the child to guarantee that the prophecy would not be fulfilled, but his very attempt to kill Moshe seemed to create the situation through which Moshe would have the abilities to defeat him. Moshe was born to a mother who had defied Paroh in the past, and three months after his birthday, when Paroh intended on killing him, she defied him yet again. Due to her love and protection, Moshe stayed alive, but was taken far from home to grow up in an environment that would suppress identity as a Jew.

Moshe grew up, for the most part, not understanding who he truly was. He didn’t quite fit in with the Egyptians; once or twice he even found himself in a fight with them, but one fateful day his life changed. He was informed of his true identity and the exceptional potential and responsibility that came along with it. He was shocked at first. He thought he couldn’t possibly live up to the expectations. However, Hashem enabled him to see that it was his destiny and guaranteed his assistance every step of the way. Things weren’t easy for him. He faced struggles not only from Paroh but from necromancers as well. Between them, Datan, and Aviram constantly aiming to make his life difficult, he had met many issues, but it only contributed to his growth as a leader. He faced attempted murder, magic, and even snakes, but his dedication and strength prevailed- with the help of Aharon and Miriam of course.

Paroh, and those who followed him, thought himself immortal, but Hashem looked to prove otherwise. His careful plan was carried out through Moshe, Aharon, Miriam, and various Jews who were committed to him. Attack after attack continued to weaken Paroh’s resolve as well as brought him closer to acknowledge his mortality. Moshe attempted to bring Paroh to remorse at the end of his life. While his attempts were scoffed, it seems that in the final moments of his life he may have realized the mistakes he made that lead to his defeat.

Switch a few of the nouns

Paroh- Voldemort

Jewish People/ Jews- Wizarding World/ Wizard

Moshe- Harry  

Egyptians- Muggles

Hashem- Dumbledore

Necromancers- Malfoy

Datan & Aviram- Crabbe & Goyle

Aharon & Miriam- Ron & Hermione

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Chanuka Story

The intention of the Greeks on Chanukah was rooted in something much deeper than decrees that Greeks imposed upon us in attempts to conform us to secular, Greek culture. In Al Hanisim, which we say in davening, it says that they attempted to make us forget our knowledge of torah. What’s interesting is that the ban on learning torah was just one decree, yet we set it aside as the over-arching intention of the Greeks. Firstly, what lead us to believe that, despite the additional decrees against the observing of Shabbat and circumcision, their main focus was the attack on torah? Secondly, the Greeks were exceptionally smart. Rambam himself knew and was even influenced by the brilliance of Greek philosophy. How could it be that a nation so intelligent wouldn’t find the torah appealing? Some of the smartest men in history have dedicated their lives to its in depth studies and philosophies. We seemed to be very attracted to their wisdom, but they didn’t appreciate the significance of ours.

Fortunately, the Chanukah story has such a strong parallel with the entire fifth book of Harry Potter that we may be able to understand the Greek mindset by looking in The Order of the Phoenix. First we need to substitute a few roles. Replace the leading force behind the harsh decrees and oppressive conditions put on the Jews with the one who did the same to Hogwarts (Antiochus with Fudge). Replace the second in command who carefully followed the instructions of their leader as well as implemented a few of their own tortures against the Jews with the one who did the same to Hogwarts (Army general with Umbridge). Replace the group of people who were behind the attempt to manipulate the Jews into seeing their opinions as the real truth with the group who was doing the same to the wizarding world (Greeks with the ministry). Replace the Jews who turned on their fellows and joined the opposing force with the students who did the same (Mityavnim with the Inquisitorial Squad). Replace the elderly, brilliant, and dominant leader behind the oppositional Jewish army with the one who played the same role behind Hogwarts’ army (Matityahu son of Yochanan Kohen Gadol with Albus Percifel Wulfric Brian Dumbledore). Replace the strong army leader who led the Jews to victory with the one who did the same for Hogwarts (Yehuda with Harry). Lastly, replace the outnumbered, under experienced Jewish army with the outnumbered, under experienced Hogwarts army (Maccabiim with Dumbledore’s Army). The story behind these characters are nearly identical.

Whenever Umbridge felt a lack of control or a threat to the ministry’s way of thinking, there would be a new decree mandating certain behavior or prohibiting certain actions. The decrees were more than a list of things you couldn’t do. They were designed to instill a sense of complete subservience to the ministry and, by extension, discretization of Dumbledore. There was no validity behind Dumbledore’s claims when the ministry portrayed him as a powerless fool. The Decrees were meant to assure a complete dismissal of any claims of Voldemort’s return. That being said, Fudge was the minister of magic. He wasn’t stupid, despite what almost everything we know about him would indicate. There are disappearances, dark marks, eye-witness testimony, unexplainable deaths, rouge dementors, and things were starting to feel a lot like the last time. Snape showed him that the dark mark had returned to his arm, which can only mean the Dark Lord’s return! How could fudge not see what was right in front of him?

Of course he knew the truth! We even have a few clear glimpses of Fudge being on the border of listening to reason. Dumbledore gives him a very strong speech in the end of the fourth book, and Fudge revealed what was actually going through his head.

-It seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, “He can’t be back, Dumbledore, he just can’t be…”

That’s not what someone who honestly does not believe that Voldemort had returned sounds like. That’s what someone who knows the truth but is too terrified to admit it sounds like. Fudge remembered the conditions of Voldemort’s last reign of terror. He knew that accepting Voldemort’s return meant accepting a reality that he was absolutely terrified of dealing with. He needed to eliminate all traces of the fact the Voldemort had returned so he could go on living his lie in a state of comfort.

That was exactly the Greek mindset. They obviously recognized the brilliance of the torah! Alexander himself refrained from attacking the Jews because of the respect he had for the Rabbis and their torah. His successors took a different approach. There’s a famous story of R’ Akiva and Tarnus Rufus where TR came to R’ Akiva and asked what was better the creation of man or the creation of god. R’ Akiva responded that the creation of man was better. His proof was that people would prefer to eat a cake over a piece of wheat. R’ Akiva revealed to him that he knew TR wanted to lead him into a trap. He was going to ask why Jews do circumcision if that alters the way god created someone. Hashem puts things into the world and gives us the ability to improve them, but the idea of circumcision is completely against the Greek ideology. The Greeks worshipped physicality. They glorified the human body in its natural state. Sports were played without clothing to show off the perfection of the human body, and their arts reflected the same obsession with physicality. Their gods were simply more powerful humans who looked and acted like normal men and women. That was the reality they knew and loved. The Greeks, like Fudge, were not so blind that they couldn’t see the truth of what was in front of them, but the acceptance of the torah’s reality would be terrifying. Their lives were based on the significance of physicality, and to imagine a god who wasn’t “corporeal” (reference to the fifth intended), and a religion based on spirituality would have shook their entire world. They needed to eliminate all traces of the torah so they could go on living their lie in a state of comfort.

That’s the depth behind the decrees. They didn’t just outlaw Shabbat, circumcision, and torah because it made the Jews too different from them. Their actions were a reflection of a deeper desire to remove torah from the world so they wouldn’t have to face it. The second they gave in to the torah, they’d be accepting a reality that they were absolutely terrified of dealing with.

     

Harry Potter and the Reflections of our Fathers

           In this week’s Parsha, Vayeshev, Yosef finds himself in a difficult position. He’s the head of his master, Potifar’s, house, and he catches the eye of Potifar’s wife. She persistently tries to seduce Yosef, but Yosef maintains his resolve. On their final exchange, she grabs onto his clothing, but he denies her yet again. There’s an interesting Midrash (story brought down by the Rabbis that may or may not have happened) that says that when Yosef was fighting with his urge to give in to her, he saw a reflection of his father’s face, and then told Potifar’s wife no. This story is a bit troubling. Yosef seems to be doing just fine on his own. The simple text depicts Yosef as single handedly defeating his inclination to act immorally, and the Midrash almost diminishes his righteousness by suggesting that he needed this miraculous push of seeing a reflection of his father.

A good place to look for an insight into Yosef’s situation is when Harry sees a reflection of his father in the Mirror of Erised. For those who don’t know, the inscription on the mirror, when read backwards and parsed correctly, reads I show not your face but your heart’s desire. Dumbledore describes the mirror in a similar vain. He says, “It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.” This is why you don’t need to know how it works or even what it is to use it properly. The mirror reflects an existing reality within you whether you acknowledge it or not. Ron looked into the mirror wanting and expecting to see Harry’s family, but instead he saw what he desired most. Quirrel wants to see how to find the stone, but because more than anything he wants to give it to Voldemort, he can’t see himself finding it. Finding it is just a means to his desire. The question is, if Harry’s desire is to see his parents, why does he get to choose to see something else? He focuses on the mirror, thinks that he wants to find the Philosopher’s Stone, and he sees himself finding it. If it were as easy as thinking something and seeing it on the mirror Quirrel could have done it too. Why is it that the mirror shows Harry whatever he wants to see as opposed to reflecting his actual deepest desire as it does for everyone else?

I’d like to suggest that it took Harry seeing Voldemort to realize that the only thing more important to him than seeing his parents was making sure Voldemort couldn’t cause anyone the same pain that he caused Harry. Voldemort told Harry that with the stone he could bring his parents back to life. More so than Harry realizing that Voldemort was lying, he realized that getting his parents back wasn’t worth bringing Voldemort back to full power. In one of the biggest challenges of Harry’s life he realized what was most important to him. His deepest desire changed, and I don’t think he would have seen his parents in the mirror had he tried again afterward. I believe there’s a similar understanding by Yosef. Seeing his father didn’t make him decide not to act; deciding not to act made him see his father. Yosef was in a difficult position. He could have been thinking about Potifar’s wife and the desire he had for her, or he could be thinking about his father, Yaakov, and the legacy he stood for. It took Yosef seeing Potifar’s wife to realize that there were things more important than physical desire. In one of the biggest challenges in Yosef’s life he, like Harry, realized what was most important to him. I think the Midrash is trying to praise Yosef. Despite his situation he chose to see his father, and the values that lead to this decision were the values that enabled him to say no.

Harry Potter and the Four Sons

In the hagada, we read about the four sons: the smart one, the bad one, the simple one, and the one who doesn't know how to ask. For me, these titles are difficult to understand. Why do we call the first son smart, all he does is ask questions? You'd assume someone smart would teaching and not just asking. We call the second son bad, but based on his question he seems as smart as the smart son. The third son we call simple even though he asks the same amount of questions as the bad son. And while we claim the fourth son doesn't know how to ask questions, anyone who has been around Jews who know little to nothing about Judaism know that they're still able to ask questions on what we're doing. Even non-Jews can ask questions on it. How can you have someone who doesn't even know how to ask?

I think it helps to view these four characters like a different four characters we know of: Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar slytherin, Godrick Gryffindor, and Helga Hufflepuff. It's interesting that Ravenclaw is "the smart house" because the smartest characters we know of (Dumbledore, Voldemort, Snape, James, serious, Hermione) are not in Ravenclaw! Rather what is Ravenclaw? It is the house for those who value smarts above all else. Padma Patil was shocked when she noticed how smart Hermione was that she wasn't placed in Ravenclaw. The entire school knew of Hermione's heroic and brave deeds at this point so why was Padma surprised that Hermione was in Gryffindor? It's because to a Ravenclaw who values brains above all else, someone who is that smart belongs in Ravenclaw since brains to them is the most important thing. Padma couldn't understand that Hermione valued her bravery over her brains. Similarly, the smart son is called smart not because he's already smart but because he values smarts and therefore asks numerous questions to increase his knowledge. As stated above, there have been members of Slytherin who were much smarter than Ravenclaws and even members who have been braver than Gryffindors. However, it's normally clear who belongs in Slytherin because they use their smarts, bravery, and all other positive attributes for bad. Similarly, the bad son uses his brain and asks an intelligent question. However, he asks only to mock them as displayed by his exclusion of himself from the question. He uses the word to you as opposed to "to us." And even though the smart son uses the same word, he says our god to include himself, which the bad son never says. Thus, like the Slytherins, he uses his brains for bad reasons.

Gryffindors are very interesting. To a normal group of unqualified, underage wizards, going directly to what very well maybe a trap set by Voldemort with an army if death eaters waiting for them would be a bad idea. However, to Harry and his fellow Gryffindors (and Luna who is a completely different story) they saw that Black was in trouble and they ignored all other details. To them it was "simple," and they did what they had to do. Harry says it him-self in the first book. Ron and Hermione are trying to stop him from going through the trap door because of all the trouble he can get into. Harry tells them that it doesn't matter about the points or about getting expelled. To him it's simple; he needs to save the philosopher's stone. Nothing else matters. A Gryffindor has the ability to completely look past the details and focus on what is simple and what matters most. While the simple son asks the same amount of questions as the bad son, his question is very different in nature from those asked by the smart son and the bad son. The simple son ignores all the details that they mention and inquires about the actions of the seder on the most simple and basic level.

Hufflepuffs have the quality of loyalty. They don't try to glorify themselves as everyone else does. They focus on everyone else before themselves. In the fourth book, Cedric could have easily been mad at Harry who was underage and somehow became the second Hogwarts champion. Harry's own best friend was mad, and we wasn't the one who's attention was being stolen. If he wasn't mad at first, he definitely could have been mad when Rita Skeeter made it seem that Harry was the only Hogwarts champion. None the less, he doesn't sport the anti-Harry badges that everyone else does. He also helps Harry figure out the egg clue. Yes Harry told him about the dragons, but in anger he could have easily justified not paying back the favor (especially given that Harry wasn't supposed to be in that competition in the first place). However, Cedric isn't just looking to glorify himself. Even when Amos Diggory says that Cedric is a better seeker than Harry, Cedric corrects him by saying he won unfairly. We see from the other houses a definite interest in fame and glory. Fred and George attempted to enter into the tournament, Ron sees fame and success in school in the mirror of erised, Phinneas Nigellus proclaims that everyone should remember Slytherin's involvement in Voldemort's defeat, and we don't get to know very many Ravenclaw characters all that well. What we do see is an active avoidance by Hufflepuff of attracting attention to themselves. Similarly, it's not that the fourth son doesn't know how to ask, rather the character described is the type of person, whom we've all had at a Seder, who doesn't speak up or draw attention to themselves. The hagada tells us what to do with them. It says to open their mouths by telling them they have an obligation to tell these things over to their children. If the person actually couldn't talk then telling them about this obligation won't help all that much. If they can talk but have other reasons for keeping quiet then informing them that eventually they'll need to be willing to discuss all these matters would be a good way to get them started in the discussion. Thus we see that the founding fathers of Hogwarts have a lot more depth than we thought, and by examining them we can better understand the four sons in the hagada.

 

Harry Potter and the Three Crowns

Shavuot, the holiday celebrating our receiving of the Torah, is approaching. Much like the Jews in the desert, who, in the fifty days between leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah, went from the highest level of impurity to the highest level of holiness, we too are supposed to be improving ourselves and preparing. The question is which direction we are supposed to be heading. It's one thing to sit and learn for an hour. It's another thing to sit and learn all day, but with Torah it's more than just learning. The goal is to make it a part of our lives and fully emulate what it teaches. To do that takes more than preparation; it takes knowing the proper mindset with which to learn. Three of the most powerful things that god gave the Jewish people were the three crowns: Keter Kehuna (crown of priesthood), Keter Malchut (crown of kingship), and the Keter Torah (crown of Torah). To understand how to be someone who properly accepts the Torah, perhaps it would help to get a better understanding of the three crowns.

To understand the crowns, I'd like to compare them to three other exceptionally powerful objects: The invisibility cloak, the Elder wand, and the resurrection stone (also known as the deathly Hallows). These three objects, like the crowns, can be used to improve almost every element of one's life, but can also be very dangerous in the hands of those who don't know how to use them. First is the invisibility cloak. It's a gift and a privilege. It enables the wearer to do what no one else can do, go where no one else can go, and most importantly, it's passed down from father to son. Those who do not directly descend from Ignotus Peveral, will never be the rightful master. Similarly, being a priest is a gift and a privilege. The do the services of god that no one else can do. They go into areas of holiness that no one else can go to. And it too is completely contingent on the family line. Those who do not directly descend from Aaron will never be a Kohen. Second is the Elder Wand. It's an object of unrivaled power. It enables the user to grant himself nearly every one of his hearts deepest desires. However, as Voldemort found out, it does not work for just anyone. It, like all wands, will only yield results to one whom it was passed down to willingly or to one who conquered it from its previous owner. Similarly, Kingship grants you unmatched power. A king can acquire for himself nearly anything in existence. But, as seen numerous times throughout Tanach, kingship is only had by one whom it was willingly passed down to or who one conquered it from the previous owner.

Lastly, and I believe to be most exceptionally, the resurrection stone. It's the only deathly Hallow that does not need to be born into, passed down to, or won. Anyone could ideally be the rightful owner. But as Dumbledore explains, it takes one in a million (and there probably aren't a million wizards in existence). Its proper utilization is rare because, as Dumbledore explains, only one who intends to use it not for his own selfish reasons, but with the intention of enabling himself to help others can be its true master. A Jew who chooses to spend his or her time learning Torah knows what it feels like to be one in a million in spite of the fact that it is the crown that is available to anyone. It says in Pirkei Avot that one who studies with the intention of (not only studying, but) teaching, is given the means to study and teach. One who studies with the intention to practice, is given the means to study, teach, observe, and practice. Clearly, a proper and full utilization of the Torah (like the stone) is only reached when the intention is not only to use it to improve one's self, rather to help others, spread its goodness, and learn from it the acts of kindness we should be doing. Hopefully the time we have before Shavuot can be used to prepare to receive the Torah in a way which we can use it to enhance the lives of those around us and not just ourselves. Then, by Shavuot, we can accept the Torah in a way that will truly change our lives.

And for those who have difficulty staying awake during davening after a full night of learning, let's think back to the fourth book. Harry stayed awake all night before the second task learning things of the upmost importance, but because of his appreciation for the significance of the moment, he was still able to perform exceptionally the following morning. Chag Sameach.

 

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Unfulfilled Prophecies

A very interesting question can be asked on this week’s Haftara, which is taken from the beginning of the book of Melachim. Natan the prophet is very concerned with a rebellion started by Adoniahu to take over the throne as David, the current king, nears the end of his life. Natan instructs Batsheva, David’s wife, to inform David of the severity of the rebellion, and David is now greatly concerned as well. The issue is that Natan had a prophecy that he shared with David in the book of Shmuel Bet that Shlomo was going to be the next king. So what is there to be worried about? In fact, one can suggest that the only reason Natan asked Batsheva to tell David is because Natan assumed that David wouldn’t listen to a word he said given the prophecy had already made about Shlomo being the next king. From an on-lookers perspective, that’s a good point! Why should David be worried? Why should Natan be worried? He was the one who had the prophecy.

                I think Harry asks a very important question that will enable us to understand what exactly is going on in Melachim. In the chapter The Lost Prophecy in book five The Order of the Phoenix, Harry is speaking with Dumbledore about the prophecy that Trelawny made 14 years prior. Harry realizes that the prophecy is referring to him, but then Dumbledore says something very interesting. “The odd thing, Harry,” he said softly, “is that it may not have meant you at all. Sibyll’s prophecy could have applied to two wizard boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The other was Neville Longbottom.” Harry then asks the crucial question, “Then - it might not be me?” But then Dumbledore gives an unfortunate answer. “I am afraid,” said Dumbledore slowly, looking as though every word cost him a great effort, “that there is no doubt that it is you.” “in marking you with that scar, he did not kill you, as he intended, but gave you powers, and a future,”. What’s being discussed is a non-definite prophecy that is not only not particular to one person, but didn’t even need to be fulfilled. So much of the conclusion was contingent on those involved fulfilling the prophecy when they didn’t need to. Dumbledore explains that had Voldemort heard the end of the prophecy, he may have completely re-thought his actions. There are hundreds of prophecies that have simply never been fulfilled, and they’re just sitting in the hall of prophecy. They’re waiting for those involved to either act or pass up on the situation that would fulfill the prophecy.

                Now we can understand why Natan and David were so nervous. I’m not the first to suggest this answer. The Abarbarnel, one of the most prominent and well known commentators on Tanach, suggests the answer seen in Harry Potter. Abarbarnel says that Natan’s reaction can be explained by the fact that a prophecy is not a guarantee. A prophecy is an allusion to a situation that will arise wherein that prophecy could be fulfilled, but, depending on the actions of those involved, doesn’t have to be. David’s solution to the rebellion is to appoint Shlomo as king immediately to show anyone on Adoniahu’s side that the king is against him. This works perfectly, and Shlomo is not only anointed as king, but the very situation that could have foiled the prophecy, was the one that caused Shlomo’s anointment. However, nothing was a guarantee.   

 

 

Harry Potter and the Ever Spinning Sword

That Ba’al Shem Tov asks a great question on this week’s Parsha. When Adam and Chava are kicked out of Gan Eden, Hashem guards the entrance with a spinning sword. While that’s a very difficult guard to get around, there are periodical gaps in the protection, and it is possible to get through. When looking for a good way to protect the entrance, would not an unbreakable wall be significantly better?

I think a similar question can be asked on the first Harry Potter book, The Philosopher’s Stone. It comes up multiple times that Hogwarts is the safest place for the stone to be kept, but when it comes down to it, all the finest protections were defeated by three first-year Wizards. As gifted as they were, this needs to raise questions about the quality of the stone’s protection. It’s not that the teachers couldn’t have come up with better protections, it’s that their protections were clearly flawed. There was a way to beat every obstacle. If you couldn’t get passed Snape’s protection without the right potion then DON’T PUT THE RIGHT POTION IN THE ROOM! The same idea can be applied to almost all obstacles. Don’t make the chess pieces playable, don’t put the right key in the room with all the keys. And if Dumbledore needed to get the Stone, firstly he can lift the apparition ban (seen in the sixth when they practice Apparition in school), secondly he could then take the key or the potion with him when he goes. The tasks are difficult, but clearly beatable when they don’t need to be. The only thing protecting the Stone is the mirror, and it doesn’t get there until January. It was virtually protection-less for six months.

It’s no coincidence that the mirror didn’t start off protecting the stone, and only when Harry discovers it, and Dumbledore can make sure he knows how to work it, that it’s then moved. It wasn’t moved in January because that was it’s time to be moved, it was moved in January because now Harry knew how to beat it. The protections around the stone were beatable because protecting the stone was not Dumbledore’s main goal. His goal was to train Harry to be able to beat them, and once he figured out how, he’d be ready to face what was waiting for him. This was necessary practice because Dumbledore knew that Harry would need to learn how to defeat Voldemort for the future. Harry explains in the last chapter that Dumbledore knew that he was going to go after Voldemort, and he wanted to prepare him.      “So what happened to you two?” said Harry.

 “Well, I got back all right,” said Hermione. “I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, ‘Harry’s gone after him, hasn’t he?’ and hurtled off to the third floor.”
 “D’you think he meant you to do it?” said Ron. “Sending you your father’s cloak and everything?”
 “Well, ” Hermione exploded, “if he did — I mean to say that’s terrible — you could have been killed.”
 “No, it isn’t,” said Harry thoughtfully. “He’s a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don’t think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It’s almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could…” Harry wouldn’t have gotten much practice in if no one could get past any of the obstacles. It seems pretty clear that protection was not Dumbledore’s aim.

This is essentially the Ba’al Shem Tov’s answer. Hashem could make it impossible for us to enter Gan Eden pretty easily, but that’s not his goal. He wants it to be possible. He wants to make it difficult enough that we need to work on ourselves significantly before we can get in, and that’s his goal. He hopes, not to guard Gan Eden, rather motivate us to use our lives for training. If we work on ourselves, work on our service of god, work on our fulfillment of his mitzvoth, then we, like Harry, will find ourselves with the abilities to easily defeat the obstacles in our way.