B"H
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 21:1 reads as follows:
וישמע הכנעני מלך ערד ישב הנגב כי בא ישראל דרך האתרים
Loosely translated:
And the Canaanite king of Arad, who dwells in the Negev, heard that the Jews arrived through Atarim.
Rashi brings an interesting interpretation that the Amalekites were the ones who attacked the Jews at this point, but they disguised themselves as Canaanites by speaking the Canaanite tongue. (Some versions of Rashi, as well as other sources such as Yalkut Shimoni, hold that the Jews also changed their dress to that of the Canaanites.) Whatever the exact disguise was aside, Rashi points out the reason for the disguise: So that the Jews pray to Hashem to save them from the Canaanites and since they were in reality battling Amalek, the Jews' prayers would have no effect.
So a question stands out here:
If Amalek wanted to deceive the Jews so that their prayers are off-target then why did they not employ the same deceptive tactic in Shmot (Exodus) 17:8, as it is written:
ויבא עמלק וילחם עם ישראל ברפידם (=And Amalek came and battled with the Jews in Refidim)? Clearly they didn't attempt to disguise themselves in this case.
So, what's the difference between the first battle in Shmot 17:8 and the second one in Bamidbar 21:1?
An explanation:
In the first battle the Jews were fresh out of Egypt. Ahead of them was 40 years (in hindsight) of miraculous existence: the food was taken care by Mana, the water by Miriam's portable well, the clothing grew with them, the land ahead of them was flattened by the clouds of glory, etc... They were totally exempt from worldly-worries. The analog nowadays is a Jew living his/her entire life in the 4 cubits of Torah study -- shunning away from involvement with the mundane world.
At this time comes Amalek, undisguised, and does battle with the Jews. More than a purely physical battle, this was an ideological battle: the Amalekite's claim was that both Jews and Amalek come from the same forefather Abraham. Their issue with the Jews was the preferential treatment that the Jews are being given. After all the Jews and the Amalekites were cousines, why is it then that the Jews can live this miraculous life and the Amalekites cannot. Perhaps G-d forbid, the Jews don't deserve this either? Perhaps the Jews are like any other nation out there? The attack was on the Jew's belonging in the 4 cubits of Torah.
To make such claims, the Amalekites needed to come as themselves -- the grandchildren of Abraham. They of course lost that battled proving once-and-for-all that a Jew does indeed belong in the 4 cubit of Torah.
However, Amalek was defeated but wasn't out yet. Amalek was just waiting for another opportunity to battle the Jews. The opportunity presented itself in this second battle: the Jews were about to enter the land of Cannaan (=Israel). What's ahead of them is many centuries of working the land, paying the mortgage, selling one's ware at the market place, etc... In other words, mundane daily existence.
Comes Amalek and says, the battle over miraculous existence we lost, but now you're entering a phase of mundane existence. We will do battle again! To make such a declaration they disguised themselves as Canaanites, dwellers of the ארץ כנען (=the land of Canaan), representing ארציות (=mundane life).
Of course they lost the second battle as well. Their mistake: divine providence extends beyond the 4 cubits of Torah, even into the lowest levels (i.e., ארציות) of Jewish existence.
This teaches us that even when a Jew is involved in mundane life he should maintain his connection to the divine, for that's where his protection comes from. As a matter of fact, he/she is given the opportunity to infuse the mundane daily life with the holiness of Torah through the performance of physical mitzvot (commandments) thereby fulfilling the verse "בכל דרכך דעהו" (=Know G-d in all your dealings.)
Good Shabbos!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Fitting fates
B"H
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 16:31-32 reads:
ויהי ככלתו לדבר את כל הדברים האלה ותבקע האדמה אשר תחתיהם
ותפתח הארץ את פיה ותבלע אתם
Loosely translated:
And when [Moshe] finished speaking all these words and earth split open below them [=Korach and his gang] and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them...
Interestingly enough, the rest of Korach's rebellious gang met its demise differently. We find that 16:35 reads:
ואש יצאה מאת ה' ותאכל את החמשים ומאתים איש מקריבי הקטרת
Loosely translated:
And they fire came from Hashem and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, those who sacrificed incense.
The earth opening its mouth and swallowing Korach and his immediate gang, when put in contrast with the rest of the gang (250 people) who was bringing incense who were burnt up brings up and interesting point:
The whole dispute Korach had with Moshe was as a result of the tragedy with the 10 spies: Korach recognized all along that Moshe is above and beyond everyone spiritually so there was no dispute at first.
However when the spies came back with their report they were rebuked (and indeed punished): while their intentions may have been good, the end does not justify the means. The spies were unwilling to live in the mundane physical world and engage in mundane physical deeds. This was at the root of their desire to stay in the desert. While in the desert they were subjected to constant divine providence: the needed not worry about food (they had manah), they needed not worry about water (they had Miriam's portable well), their clothing grew on them and the path was flattened and "sanitized" by the clouds of glory. Indeed their lived a miraculous life and could be totally immersed in Torah study without a worry in the world.
They reasoned that this miraculous lifestyle is something they would have to give-up upon arriving in the land of Israel. All of a sudden there's something called Mortgage that gets in the way. They will need to work the land. They'll have to go to the market place, etc... In other words, they realized that they'll have to live a mundane life.
So the net effect is that they gave a skewed report with some interpretive comments about the land of Israel, hoping that the whole nation will give-up the idea of entering the land, and they'd be able to continue this supernatural lifestyle in the desert, indefinitely. They succeeded convincing a great majority of this skewed opinion.
They were punished because although ideally a person should aim to study Torah non-stop, nonetheless Torah requires us to be involved in the mundane existence while keeping a finger on our Jewish pulse, and bringing Torah into the mundane existence in order to elevate it to holiness. Korach took this too far though:
When Korach saw the punishment being executed, he said to himself: "At first I thought that existence should be aimed at purely spiritual pursuits and I had no objections to Moshe. But now that I see that the spies were wrong (on the count of spiritual pursuit) and we should also engage in the physical mundane world, Moshe is no better than the rest of us! So, I'm going to go there and get my fair share of leadership!"
So, Korach was more interested in the physical deeds, while the rest of the gang that was offering incests was obviously more interested in the spiritual. Since Korach's argument was more on the mundane physical plain he was swallowed by the earth (in a downward direction.) However since the others' argument was on a spiritual plain, they were consumed by heavenly fire (in an upward direction.)
Everyone got what they were looking for: Korach went down, the other 250 men burned up, the rest of the nation, which agreed that desert life is preferable lingered around the desert for the next 40 years.
What a fine example of how Hashem conducts this world measure-for-measure with how we conduct ourselves.
Good shabbos!
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 16:31-32 reads:
ויהי ככלתו לדבר את כל הדברים האלה ותבקע האדמה אשר תחתיהם
ותפתח הארץ את פיה ותבלע אתם
Loosely translated:
And when [Moshe] finished speaking all these words and earth split open below them [=Korach and his gang] and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them...
Interestingly enough, the rest of Korach's rebellious gang met its demise differently. We find that 16:35 reads:
ואש יצאה מאת ה' ותאכל את החמשים ומאתים איש מקריבי הקטרת
Loosely translated:
And they fire came from Hashem and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, those who sacrificed incense.
The earth opening its mouth and swallowing Korach and his immediate gang, when put in contrast with the rest of the gang (250 people) who was bringing incense who were burnt up brings up and interesting point:
The whole dispute Korach had with Moshe was as a result of the tragedy with the 10 spies: Korach recognized all along that Moshe is above and beyond everyone spiritually so there was no dispute at first.
However when the spies came back with their report they were rebuked (and indeed punished): while their intentions may have been good, the end does not justify the means. The spies were unwilling to live in the mundane physical world and engage in mundane physical deeds. This was at the root of their desire to stay in the desert. While in the desert they were subjected to constant divine providence: the needed not worry about food (they had manah), they needed not worry about water (they had Miriam's portable well), their clothing grew on them and the path was flattened and "sanitized" by the clouds of glory. Indeed their lived a miraculous life and could be totally immersed in Torah study without a worry in the world.
They reasoned that this miraculous lifestyle is something they would have to give-up upon arriving in the land of Israel. All of a sudden there's something called Mortgage that gets in the way. They will need to work the land. They'll have to go to the market place, etc... In other words, they realized that they'll have to live a mundane life.
So the net effect is that they gave a skewed report with some interpretive comments about the land of Israel, hoping that the whole nation will give-up the idea of entering the land, and they'd be able to continue this supernatural lifestyle in the desert, indefinitely. They succeeded convincing a great majority of this skewed opinion.
They were punished because although ideally a person should aim to study Torah non-stop, nonetheless Torah requires us to be involved in the mundane existence while keeping a finger on our Jewish pulse, and bringing Torah into the mundane existence in order to elevate it to holiness. Korach took this too far though:
When Korach saw the punishment being executed, he said to himself: "At first I thought that existence should be aimed at purely spiritual pursuits and I had no objections to Moshe. But now that I see that the spies were wrong (on the count of spiritual pursuit) and we should also engage in the physical mundane world, Moshe is no better than the rest of us! So, I'm going to go there and get my fair share of leadership!"
So, Korach was more interested in the physical deeds, while the rest of the gang that was offering incests was obviously more interested in the spiritual. Since Korach's argument was more on the mundane physical plain he was swallowed by the earth (in a downward direction.) However since the others' argument was on a spiritual plain, they were consumed by heavenly fire (in an upward direction.)
Everyone got what they were looking for: Korach went down, the other 250 men burned up, the rest of the nation, which agreed that desert life is preferable lingered around the desert for the next 40 years.
What a fine example of how Hashem conducts this world measure-for-measure with how we conduct ourselves.
Good shabbos!
Take two Almonds and call a Kohen in the morning...
B"H
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 17:23 reads:
ויהי ממחרת ויבא משה אל אהל העדות והנה פרח מטה
אהרן לבית לוי ויצא פרח ויצץ ציץ ויגמלש קדים
Loosely translated:
And it came to be on the following morning that Moshe came to the Tent of Meeting and behold the staff of Aharon from the tribe of Levi has blossomed, and a flower grew out of it, and it budded, and bore Almonds.
A couple of questions come to mind right away:
First, why specifically Almonds?
Also, by picking the Almond, in a way it would seem that G-d diminished from the miracle:
We find in Talmud Yerushalmi, Tractate Taanit, Chapter 4, page 23a:
שקד אני רואה מה הלוז הזה משהוא מוציא את ניצו ועד שהוא גומר את פירותיו כ"א יום
Which indicates that an Almond goes from budding to complete fruit in 21 days.
So, if G-d wanted to make a miracle and make a dry staff bear fruit overnight, why pick the fruit that's already the fastest? Theoretically for the miracle to be "big" G-d should have chosen, say, an Avocado or a Banana or some other slow-to-ripen fruit. So, the second question is: why specifically Almonds?
Rashi answers the Almond question saying that Almonds are the fastest fruits which teaches us that to those who oppose the institution of kehunah (=priesthood), like Korach and his gang, punishment comes quickly and swiftly, much like an Almond's ripening.
However, the reason for the Almond appears to go a bit further with its connection to the kehunah But first, some background:
A general philosophical question is as follows: if G-d Almighty decides what we will be getting in terms of בניי חיי ומזוניי (=offspring, life, and income) for the entire year, all on Rosh-Hashana, and the decision is sealed and signed on Yom-Kippur, then why does a person need to come to shul 3 times a day and pray for the very same things? Are we worried that Hashem will "forget" what was decided?
After all, if it's all been decided on Rosh-Hashana then the person might as well sit at the beach -front, put his/her feet up, seep Margaritas, and just wait for בניי חיי ומזוניי to come pouring down from High. No?!?!
Actually, no! The abundance of בניי חיי ומזוניי that is decided on Rosh-Hashana and sealed on Yom-Kippur is purely spiritual. In other words, each person has sort of a spiritual bank account up High, and on Rosh-Hashana G-d make a deposit for the whole year. However, a person still needs to show up three times in synagogue each day to ask for a currency conversion: please G-d, take some of the abundance that was deposited in my spiritual bank account and convert it into tangible בניי חיי ומזוניי in the physical sense.
Now, there's a rule that no prayer goes unanswered, as we find in Talmud Bavli, Tractate Brachot, Chapter 5, page 32b:
כל המאריך בתפלתו אין תפלתו חוזרת ריקם (=anyone who prays with intent, his/her prayer does not go unanswered.) In other words, a person's prayers ascend to the Throne of Glory up High, and are heard by- and acted upon by G-d.
So, the question can then be asked: if that's the case, why don't we always get what we prayed for? Simply answered, some hold that no prayer goes unanswered, though sometimes the answer is "no!" This is a tongue-in-cheek, answer. What's the real deal?
The real deal is that when G-d hears a prayer He certainly answers by sending abundance down to the petitioner, of whatever the petitioner asks for. However, as the abundance flows down from higher loftier worlds, it makes a few stops at Customs (the borders between the higher worlds.) At each border crossing there are Customs agents (aka administering angels.) When the flow arrives these Custom agents start looking at the books: does the petitioner deserve any of the abundance, and if so how much does the petitioner actually deserve? etc, etc...
So, the net effect is that a person prays for spiritual-to-physical currency conversion, but the flow of abundance sent down from High doesn't always arrive when the petitioner expects it, or even in it's original form or in the manner that a person expects. All this is due to Customs...
To help with that, G-d Almighty, in His infinite mercy, sent us help in the form of the Kohamim (=priests). In fact they are commanded to bless us, as we find in Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 6:23,27:
דבר אל אהרן ואל בניו לאמר כה תברכו את בני ישראל אמור להם...
ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם
Loosely translated as:
Speak onto Aharon and his sons: so you shall bless the Jewish people, say to them (=the Jewish people).... And they (=the kohanim) shall place My Name on the Jewish people and I shall bless them.
It is interesting to note that there are two opposites, so to speak, built into these verses: on the one hand it's the kohanim who are commanded to bless the Jewish people (verse 23), while on the other hand it's G-d Almighty who blesses the Jewish people (verse 27). So, who really blesses the Jewish people?
It's quite clear that Hashem holds all the abundance, so really the blessing is coming down from High, per verse 27, so what's the role of the kohanim?
To answer that, we look in Talmud Bavli, Tractate Beya, Chapter 2, page 18a, amongst other places, where it states:
כהנים זריזין הם
I.e., the kohanim are "quick" in their sacred duties. Our sages interpret this also as
"מזרזין הם" = "זריזין הם", i.e., not only are they fast (זריזין), but they also cause other things to speed up (מזרזין).
When a person's abundance is held up at Customs pending review by the Customs agents, the blessing of the kohanim (as quoted above from Bamidbar 6:23) speeds things up. When the abundance is rushed through Customs, there's less time and opportunity for the Customs agents to do proper and thorough analysis of the petitioner's worthiness. Things are rushed through so the abundance arrives better resembling its original form when it left the Throne of Glory, less changed, more pristine, more like what was asked of Hashem. This is the secret of the blessing of the kohanim -- to rush the abundance down.
We see from this that the whole concept of a kohen and his blessings, as well as his tasks around the Temple, are intrinsically connected to the concept of speed. In other words, at the the very essence of a kohen is the concept of speed.
It is natural therefore that the staff of the "real kohen" be adorned specifically with Almonds -- the fastest of fruit, for only the "real kohen" affects the speed of the flux of abundance. Once the other tribal leaders saw the Almond fruit on Aharon's staff, it was abundantly clear who possess the attribute of kehunah -- it's all in the Almond.
Good Shabbos with lots of abundance (and Almonds)!
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 17:23 reads:
ויהי ממחרת ויבא משה אל אהל העדות והנה פרח מטה
אהרן לבית לוי ויצא פרח ויצץ ציץ ויגמלש קדים
Loosely translated:
And it came to be on the following morning that Moshe came to the Tent of Meeting and behold the staff of Aharon from the tribe of Levi has blossomed, and a flower grew out of it, and it budded, and bore Almonds.
A couple of questions come to mind right away:
First, why specifically Almonds?
Also, by picking the Almond, in a way it would seem that G-d diminished from the miracle:
We find in Talmud Yerushalmi, Tractate Taanit, Chapter 4, page 23a:
שקד אני רואה מה הלוז הזה משהוא מוציא את ניצו ועד שהוא גומר את פירותיו כ"א יום
Which indicates that an Almond goes from budding to complete fruit in 21 days.
So, if G-d wanted to make a miracle and make a dry staff bear fruit overnight, why pick the fruit that's already the fastest? Theoretically for the miracle to be "big" G-d should have chosen, say, an Avocado or a Banana or some other slow-to-ripen fruit. So, the second question is: why specifically Almonds?
Rashi answers the Almond question saying that Almonds are the fastest fruits which teaches us that to those who oppose the institution of kehunah (=priesthood), like Korach and his gang, punishment comes quickly and swiftly, much like an Almond's ripening.
However, the reason for the Almond appears to go a bit further with its connection to the kehunah But first, some background:
A general philosophical question is as follows: if G-d Almighty decides what we will be getting in terms of בניי חיי ומזוניי (=offspring, life, and income) for the entire year, all on Rosh-Hashana, and the decision is sealed and signed on Yom-Kippur, then why does a person need to come to shul 3 times a day and pray for the very same things? Are we worried that Hashem will "forget" what was decided?
After all, if it's all been decided on Rosh-Hashana then the person might as well sit at the beach -front, put his/her feet up, seep Margaritas, and just wait for בניי חיי ומזוניי to come pouring down from High. No?!?!
Actually, no! The abundance of בניי חיי ומזוניי that is decided on Rosh-Hashana and sealed on Yom-Kippur is purely spiritual. In other words, each person has sort of a spiritual bank account up High, and on Rosh-Hashana G-d make a deposit for the whole year. However, a person still needs to show up three times in synagogue each day to ask for a currency conversion: please G-d, take some of the abundance that was deposited in my spiritual bank account and convert it into tangible בניי חיי ומזוניי in the physical sense.
Now, there's a rule that no prayer goes unanswered, as we find in Talmud Bavli, Tractate Brachot, Chapter 5, page 32b:
כל המאריך בתפלתו אין תפלתו חוזרת ריקם (=anyone who prays with intent, his/her prayer does not go unanswered.) In other words, a person's prayers ascend to the Throne of Glory up High, and are heard by- and acted upon by G-d.
So, the question can then be asked: if that's the case, why don't we always get what we prayed for? Simply answered, some hold that no prayer goes unanswered, though sometimes the answer is "no!" This is a tongue-in-cheek, answer. What's the real deal?
The real deal is that when G-d hears a prayer He certainly answers by sending abundance down to the petitioner, of whatever the petitioner asks for. However, as the abundance flows down from higher loftier worlds, it makes a few stops at Customs (the borders between the higher worlds.) At each border crossing there are Customs agents (aka administering angels.) When the flow arrives these Custom agents start looking at the books: does the petitioner deserve any of the abundance, and if so how much does the petitioner actually deserve? etc, etc...
So, the net effect is that a person prays for spiritual-to-physical currency conversion, but the flow of abundance sent down from High doesn't always arrive when the petitioner expects it, or even in it's original form or in the manner that a person expects. All this is due to Customs...
To help with that, G-d Almighty, in His infinite mercy, sent us help in the form of the Kohamim (=priests). In fact they are commanded to bless us, as we find in Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch. 6:23,27:
דבר אל אהרן ואל בניו לאמר כה תברכו את בני ישראל אמור להם...
ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם
Loosely translated as:
Speak onto Aharon and his sons: so you shall bless the Jewish people, say to them (=the Jewish people).... And they (=the kohanim) shall place My Name on the Jewish people and I shall bless them.
It is interesting to note that there are two opposites, so to speak, built into these verses: on the one hand it's the kohanim who are commanded to bless the Jewish people (verse 23), while on the other hand it's G-d Almighty who blesses the Jewish people (verse 27). So, who really blesses the Jewish people?
It's quite clear that Hashem holds all the abundance, so really the blessing is coming down from High, per verse 27, so what's the role of the kohanim?
To answer that, we look in Talmud Bavli, Tractate Beya, Chapter 2, page 18a, amongst other places, where it states:
כהנים זריזין הם
I.e., the kohanim are "quick" in their sacred duties. Our sages interpret this also as
"מזרזין הם" = "זריזין הם", i.e., not only are they fast (זריזין), but they also cause other things to speed up (מזרזין).
When a person's abundance is held up at Customs pending review by the Customs agents, the blessing of the kohanim (as quoted above from Bamidbar 6:23) speeds things up. When the abundance is rushed through Customs, there's less time and opportunity for the Customs agents to do proper and thorough analysis of the petitioner's worthiness. Things are rushed through so the abundance arrives better resembling its original form when it left the Throne of Glory, less changed, more pristine, more like what was asked of Hashem. This is the secret of the blessing of the kohanim -- to rush the abundance down.
We see from this that the whole concept of a kohen and his blessings, as well as his tasks around the Temple, are intrinsically connected to the concept of speed. In other words, at the the very essence of a kohen is the concept of speed.
It is natural therefore that the staff of the "real kohen" be adorned specifically with Almonds -- the fastest of fruit, for only the "real kohen" affects the speed of the flux of abundance. Once the other tribal leaders saw the Almond fruit on Aharon's staff, it was abundantly clear who possess the attribute of kehunah -- it's all in the Almond.
Good Shabbos with lots of abundance (and Almonds)!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Kosher spies vs. Hoshea's name change.
B"H
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch.13:3 reads:
כלם אנשים ראשי בני ישראל המה
Loosely translated:
There were all אנשים (pron.: Anashim = men), the heads of the Jewish people.
Rashi interprets "Anashim" in 13:3 to mean that at the time of calling there were all kosher righteous individuals, i.e., proper upstanding leaders of the community and of their respective tribes.
Interestingly in 13:16 we find:
ויקרא משה להושע בן-נון יהושע
Loosely translated:
And Moshe renamed Hoshea son of Nun to Yehoshuah (Joshua)
Rashi (on 13:16) states that Moshe added the leading י to Hoshea's name (thus resulting in Yehoshua) so that "Hashem will protect Joshua from the conspiracy of those wicked spies" (referring to the 10 spies are are destined to produce an evil report about the land of Israel.)
So, the obvious question is this: if these 10 men were indeed wicked, why did Moshe call them "Anashim" (=righteous, proper and upstanding leaders of their respective tribes.) Why indeed did he choose them to lead the mission? If on the other hand they were indeed kosher "Anashim", why did Moshe have to add a letter to Hoshea's name to draw down divine protection from these Anashim?
What were they? Anashim or wicked?
At the literal level, we must conclude that they were indeed "Anashim" as the Torah states, which means that they were kosher at the time the were chosen for the mission. So, the question falls back onto Moshe as to his decision to add a letter to a perfectly valid name.
An explanation, but first some background:
We find that there are two types of righteous individuals, as it states in Tehilim (Psalms) 93:13:
צדיק כתמר יפרח כארז בלבנון ישגה
Loosely translated:
A righteous person will grow like a palm-tree, [and] like a Lebanon-ceder tree he shell become great.
What's the differences between a palm-tree and a ceder? A ceder tree is much bigger, wider, stronger, taller and resistant to the elements. It's a really massive tree, especially the Lebanese variety. A palm-tree, on the other hand is smaller, slimmer and shorter and not as resistant. Though a palm-tree posses one very important quality that a ceder lacks: the ability to bear fruit! Not only does a palm-tree produces dates, but anyone who eats those dates gains sustenances, vitality and strength.
This is likened to two types of Tzakdikim (=righteous individuals):
There are those that are like a ceder: they are massive! the devote 100% of themselves to study of Torah and spiritual pursuit. They are constantly in heavenly involvement and absolutly nothing else. Their entire existence evolves around the axis of Torah.
On the other side of the spectrum there are those Tzakdikim that that are like a palm-tree: their not devoting 100% of their time to Torah study. They are not constantly involved with heaven. In fact they devote some of their time, effort, money and abilities to help other people. They bear fruits -- they're actions and interactions with other individuals -- in the way of spiritual and material help are indeed the "fruits" they produce. The palm-tree tzadikim reach out to the simple folk. Those who consume their fruits indeed gain both physical and spiritual sustenance, vitality and strength.
Though this outreach may come at the expense of these palm-tree tzadikim, because they certainly don't have all the Torah study that the ceder tzadikim have.
Back to the problem at hand:
Moshe sees in the 10 other spies that they are indeed kosher, as Rashi explains, and that they're indeed tzadikim of the ceder variety: they much rather stay in the desert and live a supernatural life where food is miraculously provided daily, the clothing grows with the person wearing them, the clouds of glory provide divine protection and a person is free to pursuit spirituality to their heart's content without interference from the physical realm. On the other hand the Land of Israel represents, to them, a spiritual decent because: a person would have to be involved in manual labor to work the land, go to the marketplace to buy and sell, cook, put food on the table, clean after the meal, change diapers, take the donkey in for an oil-change, take the kids to sand-hockey and be otherwise involved in earthy matters, leaving less time for spiritual pursuits.
Moshe wants Hoshea to become a palm-tree tzadik, on the other hand. Moshe reasons that it's not enough to be all spiritual and lead a completely spiritual life, for if that was the case, the Jewish nation would have not received physical bodies and a Torah that affects (and indeed utilizes and refines) the physical world. For Torah to be truly applied in one's day-to-day life, one must infuse the day-to-day mundane life with Torah -- that is the true purpose of receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
Retrospectively we see that Moshe was correct: the 10 spies were punished severely for trying to hijack the divine plan (i.e., to stay in the desert and live an exclusively spiritual life) while Yehoshuah (nee: Hoshea) is chosen by the Almighty as Moshe's replacement and indeed the person who will eventually lead the Jewish people into the Land of Israel. There, in the Land of Israel, under Yehoshua's leadership the Divine Will and Divine Purpose of giving of the Torah (and indeed creation as a whole) can be fulfilled, specifically by affecting, utilizing and refining the mundane with the light of Torah.
Bamidbar (Numbers) Ch.13:3 reads:
כלם אנשים ראשי בני ישראל המה
Loosely translated:
There were all אנשים (pron.: Anashim = men), the heads of the Jewish people.
Rashi interprets "Anashim" in 13:3 to mean that at the time of calling there were all kosher righteous individuals, i.e., proper upstanding leaders of the community and of their respective tribes.
Interestingly in 13:16 we find:
ויקרא משה להושע בן-נון יהושע
Loosely translated:
And Moshe renamed Hoshea son of Nun to Yehoshuah (Joshua)
Rashi (on 13:16) states that Moshe added the leading י to Hoshea's name (thus resulting in Yehoshua) so that "Hashem will protect Joshua from the conspiracy of those wicked spies" (referring to the 10 spies are are destined to produce an evil report about the land of Israel.)
So, the obvious question is this: if these 10 men were indeed wicked, why did Moshe call them "Anashim" (=righteous, proper and upstanding leaders of their respective tribes.) Why indeed did he choose them to lead the mission? If on the other hand they were indeed kosher "Anashim", why did Moshe have to add a letter to Hoshea's name to draw down divine protection from these Anashim?
What were they? Anashim or wicked?
At the literal level, we must conclude that they were indeed "Anashim" as the Torah states, which means that they were kosher at the time the were chosen for the mission. So, the question falls back onto Moshe as to his decision to add a letter to a perfectly valid name.
An explanation, but first some background:
We find that there are two types of righteous individuals, as it states in Tehilim (Psalms) 93:13:
צדיק כתמר יפרח כארז בלבנון ישגה
Loosely translated:
A righteous person will grow like a palm-tree, [and] like a Lebanon-ceder tree he shell become great.
What's the differences between a palm-tree and a ceder? A ceder tree is much bigger, wider, stronger, taller and resistant to the elements. It's a really massive tree, especially the Lebanese variety. A palm-tree, on the other hand is smaller, slimmer and shorter and not as resistant. Though a palm-tree posses one very important quality that a ceder lacks: the ability to bear fruit! Not only does a palm-tree produces dates, but anyone who eats those dates gains sustenances, vitality and strength.
This is likened to two types of Tzakdikim (=righteous individuals):
There are those that are like a ceder: they are massive! the devote 100% of themselves to study of Torah and spiritual pursuit. They are constantly in heavenly involvement and absolutly nothing else. Their entire existence evolves around the axis of Torah.
On the other side of the spectrum there are those Tzakdikim that that are like a palm-tree: their not devoting 100% of their time to Torah study. They are not constantly involved with heaven. In fact they devote some of their time, effort, money and abilities to help other people. They bear fruits -- they're actions and interactions with other individuals -- in the way of spiritual and material help are indeed the "fruits" they produce. The palm-tree tzadikim reach out to the simple folk. Those who consume their fruits indeed gain both physical and spiritual sustenance, vitality and strength.
Though this outreach may come at the expense of these palm-tree tzadikim, because they certainly don't have all the Torah study that the ceder tzadikim have.
Back to the problem at hand:
Moshe sees in the 10 other spies that they are indeed kosher, as Rashi explains, and that they're indeed tzadikim of the ceder variety: they much rather stay in the desert and live a supernatural life where food is miraculously provided daily, the clothing grows with the person wearing them, the clouds of glory provide divine protection and a person is free to pursuit spirituality to their heart's content without interference from the physical realm. On the other hand the Land of Israel represents, to them, a spiritual decent because: a person would have to be involved in manual labor to work the land, go to the marketplace to buy and sell, cook, put food on the table, clean after the meal, change diapers, take the donkey in for an oil-change, take the kids to sand-hockey and be otherwise involved in earthy matters, leaving less time for spiritual pursuits.
Moshe wants Hoshea to become a palm-tree tzadik, on the other hand. Moshe reasons that it's not enough to be all spiritual and lead a completely spiritual life, for if that was the case, the Jewish nation would have not received physical bodies and a Torah that affects (and indeed utilizes and refines) the physical world. For Torah to be truly applied in one's day-to-day life, one must infuse the day-to-day mundane life with Torah -- that is the true purpose of receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
Retrospectively we see that Moshe was correct: the 10 spies were punished severely for trying to hijack the divine plan (i.e., to stay in the desert and live an exclusively spiritual life) while Yehoshuah (nee: Hoshea) is chosen by the Almighty as Moshe's replacement and indeed the person who will eventually lead the Jewish people into the Land of Israel. There, in the Land of Israel, under Yehoshua's leadership the Divine Will and Divine Purpose of giving of the Torah (and indeed creation as a whole) can be fulfilled, specifically by affecting, utilizing and refining the mundane with the light of Torah.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Why name the recepients
B"H
Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), Ch. 1:1 reads:
משה קיבל תורה מסיניי ומסרה ליהושוע ויהושוע לזקנים
וזקנים לנביאים ונביאים מסרוה לאנשי כנסת הגדולה
Loosely translated:
Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua, and Joshua gave it over to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets gave it over to the sages of the great assembly.
Based on a drasha heard from the Rabbi at the pulpit, an interesting דיוק (=clarification) follows:
The obvious question here, which has already been addressed by many mishna commentators already, is: why does it say משה קיבל תורה מסיניי (=Moshe Moshe received the Torah from Sinai) where in fact it should have said משה קיבל תורה מהשם (=Moshe received the Torah from the Almighty) or perhaps משה קיבל תורה בסיניי (=Moshe Moshe received the Torah at Sinai).
However, we can compound it with a question from another angle: why does the mishna goes to such great length to list all the recipients after Moshe -- it could have just as easily stated:
משה קיבל תורה מסיניי, ומסרה לדורות הבאים (=Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to the following generations.) Why does the mishna find it necessary to list the recipients by name or title?
An explanation to both questions follows. But first, some background:
When Moshe was at the scene of the burning bush, Hashem tried to enlist Moshe to go on a rescue mission. Moshe retorted by giving a list of arguments why he's not suitable, and indeed Hashem should choose someone else. Hashem responded with His reasoning, and the whole thing repeated. The midrash and commentators teach us that these negotiations went on for a few days(!)
However, when Hashem tells Moshe to come up the mountain and receive the Torah, there were no such arguments. There was no negotiations. Moshe simply went up and did it. Why is that? Why the difference?
And explanation can be given as follows: according to the midrash one reason why mount Sinai has been chosen as the address to receive the Torah is because it doesn't stand out! As a matter of fact, it's the lowest mountain in the area. Sinai was chosen, in other words, because it represents humility.
So, when Moshe was asked to go up the mountain to receive the Torah he did not object, simply because he figured out: since it's mount Sinai that's chosen, the lowest of all mountains, I have no problem going up that mountain, just don't ask me to go up a taller mountain, because I'm really not worthy. However, mount Sinai is acceptable.
Back to the two questions posed at the top:
The wording מסיניי (=from Sinai) can be understood to mean ממדת סיניי (=from/through the character trait of Sinai.) What is the character trait of Sinai? Answer: humility.
How can a person receive the Torah? Only when he/she has humility. We see this in a number of cases, such as the siddur, end of amidah: "ונפשי כעפר לכל תהייה" (=my soul should be like dust before anyone else) humility and only then "ופתח ליבי בתורתך" (=and open my heart to your Torah._
Another case is the verse (G-d's words about an arrogant person): "אין אני והוא דרים תחת כפיפה אחת" (=I will not dwell with him under one roof.) Bottom line, in the context of transmission of Torah, the beginning needs to be מסיניי = through Humility.
Next the mishna continues to ומסרה ליהושוע (=and transmitted it to Joshua.) What is the meaning of Joshua in the context of Torah transmission? Joshua was not only a student of Moshe, but the commentators record that he has never left אוהל מועד (=the Tent of Meeting) while Moshe was there. Joshua represents astuteness and consistency.
So, a person might receive the Torah with humility and be very astute and consistent in learning it. However, there's just so much that he/she can achieve on their own. So, the mishna continues
לזקנים (=[Joshua transmitted it] to the elders.) What is the meaning of the Elders in the context of Torah transmission? Wisdom is associated with old age. (citation needed). A person needs to approach those who are wiser than him/her -- a great Torah scholar, or sage.
However, human wisdom is still limited regardless to whom one approaches. At this point in time, after receiving the Torah through humility and learning it with exemplary astutenesses and under the tutelage of a wise scholar, one hits the roof of what can be achieved through human effort. To continue to grow Jewishly what's needed at this point is לנביאים (=[the elders transmitted it] to the prophets.) Prophecy represents super-human, super-rational connection to the divine. Just as prophecy came down from High to a prophet after much preparation on the side of the prophet, so to transmission of Torah. After a person goes through the process of receiving the Torah through humility and learning it with exemplary astutenesses and under the tutelage of a wise sage, the next stage is that he/she is helped from High, because one can only rely on סיאתה דישמיה (=Heaven's help.)
Finally, when all is said and done, a person comes to the stage of לאנשי כנסת הגדולה (=[and the prophets transmitted it] to the sages of the great assembly.) The great assembly was responsible for laying-down the foundation upon which Halacha (=practical law) will later be based on. In other words, the sages of the great assembly represent the ability to take Torah learning and apply it in day-to-day living.
Thus both original questions are answered:
1. From Sinai means through humility, but it doesn't stop there, because:
2. The transmission of Torah is restricted to transmission through the generations, but also through one's own life -- one receives it with humility, learns it with astuteness and consistency, gets tutelage from a scholar which brings upon help from above (in order to advance above and beyond human ability) which finally culminates in a person applying his/her studies in daily life -- a Torah-true life.
Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), Ch. 1:1 reads:
משה קיבל תורה מסיניי ומסרה ליהושוע ויהושוע לזקנים
וזקנים לנביאים ונביאים מסרוה לאנשי כנסת הגדולה
Loosely translated:
Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua, and Joshua gave it over to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets gave it over to the sages of the great assembly.
Based on a drasha heard from the Rabbi at the pulpit, an interesting דיוק (=clarification) follows:
The obvious question here, which has already been addressed by many mishna commentators already, is: why does it say משה קיבל תורה מסיניי (=Moshe Moshe received the Torah from Sinai) where in fact it should have said משה קיבל תורה מהשם (=Moshe received the Torah from the Almighty) or perhaps משה קיבל תורה בסיניי (=Moshe Moshe received the Torah at Sinai).
However, we can compound it with a question from another angle: why does the mishna goes to such great length to list all the recipients after Moshe -- it could have just as easily stated:
משה קיבל תורה מסיניי, ומסרה לדורות הבאים (=Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to the following generations.) Why does the mishna find it necessary to list the recipients by name or title?
An explanation to both questions follows. But first, some background:
When Moshe was at the scene of the burning bush, Hashem tried to enlist Moshe to go on a rescue mission. Moshe retorted by giving a list of arguments why he's not suitable, and indeed Hashem should choose someone else. Hashem responded with His reasoning, and the whole thing repeated. The midrash and commentators teach us that these negotiations went on for a few days(!)
However, when Hashem tells Moshe to come up the mountain and receive the Torah, there were no such arguments. There was no negotiations. Moshe simply went up and did it. Why is that? Why the difference?
And explanation can be given as follows: according to the midrash one reason why mount Sinai has been chosen as the address to receive the Torah is because it doesn't stand out! As a matter of fact, it's the lowest mountain in the area. Sinai was chosen, in other words, because it represents humility.
So, when Moshe was asked to go up the mountain to receive the Torah he did not object, simply because he figured out: since it's mount Sinai that's chosen, the lowest of all mountains, I have no problem going up that mountain, just don't ask me to go up a taller mountain, because I'm really not worthy. However, mount Sinai is acceptable.
Back to the two questions posed at the top:
The wording מסיניי (=from Sinai) can be understood to mean ממדת סיניי (=from/through the character trait of Sinai.) What is the character trait of Sinai? Answer: humility.
How can a person receive the Torah? Only when he/she has humility. We see this in a number of cases, such as the siddur, end of amidah: "ונפשי כעפר לכל תהייה" (=my soul should be like dust before anyone else) humility and only then "ופתח ליבי בתורתך" (=and open my heart to your Torah._
Another case is the verse (G-d's words about an arrogant person): "אין אני והוא דרים תחת כפיפה אחת" (=I will not dwell with him under one roof.) Bottom line, in the context of transmission of Torah, the beginning needs to be מסיניי = through Humility.
Next the mishna continues to ומסרה ליהושוע (=and transmitted it to Joshua.) What is the meaning of Joshua in the context of Torah transmission? Joshua was not only a student of Moshe, but the commentators record that he has never left אוהל מועד (=the Tent of Meeting) while Moshe was there. Joshua represents astuteness and consistency.
So, a person might receive the Torah with humility and be very astute and consistent in learning it. However, there's just so much that he/she can achieve on their own. So, the mishna continues
לזקנים (=[Joshua transmitted it] to the elders.) What is the meaning of the Elders in the context of Torah transmission? Wisdom is associated with old age. (citation needed). A person needs to approach those who are wiser than him/her -- a great Torah scholar, or sage.
However, human wisdom is still limited regardless to whom one approaches. At this point in time, after receiving the Torah through humility and learning it with exemplary astutenesses and under the tutelage of a wise scholar, one hits the roof of what can be achieved through human effort. To continue to grow Jewishly what's needed at this point is לנביאים (=[the elders transmitted it] to the prophets.) Prophecy represents super-human, super-rational connection to the divine. Just as prophecy came down from High to a prophet after much preparation on the side of the prophet, so to transmission of Torah. After a person goes through the process of receiving the Torah through humility and learning it with exemplary astutenesses and under the tutelage of a wise sage, the next stage is that he/she is helped from High, because one can only rely on סיאתה דישמיה (=Heaven's help.)
Finally, when all is said and done, a person comes to the stage of לאנשי כנסת הגדולה (=[and the prophets transmitted it] to the sages of the great assembly.) The great assembly was responsible for laying-down the foundation upon which Halacha (=practical law) will later be based on. In other words, the sages of the great assembly represent the ability to take Torah learning and apply it in day-to-day living.
Thus both original questions are answered:
1. From Sinai means through humility, but it doesn't stop there, because:
2. The transmission of Torah is restricted to transmission through the generations, but also through one's own life -- one receives it with humility, learns it with astuteness and consistency, gets tutelage from a scholar which brings upon help from above (in order to advance above and beyond human ability) which finally culminates in a person applying his/her studies in daily life -- a Torah-true life.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
How is shmita related to Mt. Sinai?
B"H
In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) Ch. 5 it reads:
גלות באה לעולם על עבודה זרה, ועל גילוי עריות, ועל שפיכות דמים, ועל שמיטת הארץ.
Loosely translated:
Exile manifests in the world due to idol-worship, immoral relations, murder and not obeying shmita laws (=laws pertaining to the sabbatical year we must give the land on a 7-year cycle.)
What immediately jumps out are two questions. But first some background:
1) The prohibition of idol-worship is at the very foundation (and indeed fabric) of Jewish belief and practice.
2) Murder is a very serious crime which warrens an equivalently serious punishment. Practically every civilized society has laws pertaining to murder.
3) Immoral relations are also very serious crime in Judaism to the point that any product of such relations is forever branded a mamzer. These relations are also widely outlawed in most civilized societies.
Indeed all of the above three appear as prohibitions in the ten commandments as well as the 7 Noachide laws, outlawing them for all of humanity.
In light of this, we can see why the exile be brought-upon by transgressing these three prohibitions, as they are very serious indeed.
So, the first question here is: what does transgressing shmita have to do with exile and why does it appear at the same place and said with one breath along with idol-worship, murder and immoral relations? The question becomes even stronger when we consider that the first three are prohibited to all of humanity, whereas shmita only applies to the Jewish people. Not only that, but not even all Jews, just those living in the Land of Israel. And amongst those, even, it only applies to Jews who work the land.
The second question is: if the exile is a product, by divine decree, for transgressing the laws of shmita, then while the Jewish people are being punished in exile, they certainly cannot keep the laws of shmita (which only apply in the Land of Israel, as previously stated.) In other words, how does the punishment fit the crime, since by the very nature of the punishment (=exile) the laws of shmita cannot be kept? Indeed, during the time of the Babylonian exile, which lasted 70 years, the Jewish people have "missed" 10 potential shmitas that they could have kept, had they not been exiled for not keeping shmita. (See Rashi on Vayikra (Leviticus) Ch. 25:18)
A possible answer:
Rashi begins his commentary on the portion Behar with the following idea:
Why are the laws of shmita listed in great detail at the beginning of Behar? To teach us that just as the laws of shmita were given in detail and at great length, right there at mount Sinai, so too were all other Torah laws given in great detail on the same occasion.
On this very Rashi, a child might pose the question: Why specifically all the laws of shmita given? The Torah could have chosen any other law and listed its details at great length -- and Rashi could have had the very same commentary with a slight change of wording to account for the specific law chosen. We're forced to conclude, therefore, that there's a special connection between the laws of shmita and the revelation at mount Sinai during the giving of the Torah. In other words, somehow the laws of shmita, specifically, are representative of all other Torah laws, more so than any other law. But How?
To answer, we need to delve into some Jewish philosophy:
According to Jewish philosophy there is one level of emunah (=trust and belief in the Almighty) that a Jewish farmer may posses where he/she believes that the Almighty created nature and instilled in it everlasting laws. And because we trust the Almighty, we also trust that his laws are eternal. The farmer's emunah then is that if he/she plows, plants, waters and takes care of the field, and all the other conditions are just right (e.g., the temperature, humidity and wind are just right) then according to the laws of nature, which the Almighty himself created, there will be a good yield of crop.
Above that there's a higher level of emunah: the Jewish farmer believes that the Almighty is actively involved in the laws of nature. In other words, this emunah is at that the Almighty is pro-active in the development of the crop, not merely by orchestrating nature as a whole, via some laws, but rather in detail.
Both these levels of emunah are confined to nature, since they are solely within the framework of nature: either at the macro level (the first level of emunah) or at a micro level (the second level of emunah).
However, there's a higher level of emunah yet, as we can see in Vayikra Ch. 25:3-4 which read:
שש שנים תזרע שדך ושש שנים תזמר כרמך ואספת את תבואתה
ובשנה השביעת שבת שבתון יהיה לארץ שבת להשם שדך לא תזרע וכרמך לא תזמר
Loosely translated:
For six years you shall seed your wine and you shall harvest it, and the seventh year shall be a sabbatical to the land (i.e., shmita), a sabbatical to G-d, your field you shall not seed and your vine you shall not prune.
At this is the level of emunah that the farmer believes that really everything is in the hands of the Almighty. On the seventh year the Jewish farmer is not required to plow, plant, water or otherwise take care of the field. As a matter of fact, he/she is prohibited to do so. Yet the land will continue to produce. This teaches us that really, it's the Almighty in control -- not us, for if it was up to us, inaction of the seventh year would mean no food. See the article about Superrational Trust for further clarification on this point.
Whereas the first two levels of emunah are limited by the framework of nature, the third level is not. At the third and higher level of emunah the Jew (farmer or otherwise) believes that although the Almighty acts within nature (making the crop give good yield, for instance) however the flux of abundance comes from a level higher than nature. In other words, Hashem acts within nature but from beyond nature.
What better mitzvah (=commandment), from the set of 613, is there to demonstrate that the flux of abundance originates beyond nature? What better mitzvah is there to demonstrate that the Almighty's ways are incomparable to nature?
Even the mitzvah of the Red Heifer, which is the most irrational mitzvah (as testified by Shlomo HaMelech, King Salomon, the wisest of all people) lacks in this respect. Whereas the Red Heifer defies logic to demonstrate the Hashem is beyond logic and understanding, more so than any other mitzvah, by purifying the tainted while tainting the pure in the process, there is no visible difference to the human eye. An impure person looks no different than a perfectly pure one. We know that there's a difference, but we cannot perceive it. This is precisely where the laws of shmita excel: there is nothing more tangible to a person than food on the table. There's nothing that announces that "The Almighty manipulates nature from beyond the laws of nature" than when the Jewish farmer abstains from working the land on shmita years, and yet there's food in the field, on the table and in the tummy. The farmer made no effort on his-/herown behalf, and yet all his essential needs were taken care of by Hashem.
This is then the connection between Behar and shmita: Rashi's comment can now be understood to also mean that just as the laws of shmita were given in their entirety (that is, in a way that would announce loud and clear that Hashem works within nature but from beyond nature, i.e, just as the laws of shmita affect this lowly world, but are rooted in higher realms) so too all the other mitzvahs. This includes those that we can logically explain -- although there's a logical explanation, you should know that at their essence these mitzvahs are rooted in higher reals, they're all supernal and super-rational. To come to this realization, we specifically need the most tangible instance of such a mitzvah -- shmita laws.
We can now undertand better Pirkei Avot: The first question was asked why shmita was mentioned in the same breath as the prohibition of idol worship, murder and improper relation, in lieu of these three being fundamental laws. The explanation is, then, that shmita is most fundamental from a philosophical point of view as it reflect the supernal source of all Torah laws.
The second question was what's the connection between shmita and the exile, especially in lieu of the fact that shmita laws can certainly not be kept while in exile. The explanation to that is already given at length in the Superrational Trust article. See the part about Hashem defying logic due to the promise/blessing that on the sixth year the land gives the greatest yield.
Good shabbos with lots of emunah and yield both physically and spiritually.
In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) Ch. 5 it reads:
גלות באה לעולם על עבודה זרה, ועל גילוי עריות, ועל שפיכות דמים, ועל שמיטת הארץ.
Loosely translated:
Exile manifests in the world due to idol-worship, immoral relations, murder and not obeying shmita laws (=laws pertaining to the sabbatical year we must give the land on a 7-year cycle.)
What immediately jumps out are two questions. But first some background:
1) The prohibition of idol-worship is at the very foundation (and indeed fabric) of Jewish belief and practice.
2) Murder is a very serious crime which warrens an equivalently serious punishment. Practically every civilized society has laws pertaining to murder.
3) Immoral relations are also very serious crime in Judaism to the point that any product of such relations is forever branded a mamzer. These relations are also widely outlawed in most civilized societies.
Indeed all of the above three appear as prohibitions in the ten commandments as well as the 7 Noachide laws, outlawing them for all of humanity.
In light of this, we can see why the exile be brought-upon by transgressing these three prohibitions, as they are very serious indeed.
So, the first question here is: what does transgressing shmita have to do with exile and why does it appear at the same place and said with one breath along with idol-worship, murder and immoral relations? The question becomes even stronger when we consider that the first three are prohibited to all of humanity, whereas shmita only applies to the Jewish people. Not only that, but not even all Jews, just those living in the Land of Israel. And amongst those, even, it only applies to Jews who work the land.
The second question is: if the exile is a product, by divine decree, for transgressing the laws of shmita, then while the Jewish people are being punished in exile, they certainly cannot keep the laws of shmita (which only apply in the Land of Israel, as previously stated.) In other words, how does the punishment fit the crime, since by the very nature of the punishment (=exile) the laws of shmita cannot be kept? Indeed, during the time of the Babylonian exile, which lasted 70 years, the Jewish people have "missed" 10 potential shmitas that they could have kept, had they not been exiled for not keeping shmita. (See Rashi on Vayikra (Leviticus) Ch. 25:18)
A possible answer:
Rashi begins his commentary on the portion Behar with the following idea:
Why are the laws of shmita listed in great detail at the beginning of Behar? To teach us that just as the laws of shmita were given in detail and at great length, right there at mount Sinai, so too were all other Torah laws given in great detail on the same occasion.
On this very Rashi, a child might pose the question: Why specifically all the laws of shmita given? The Torah could have chosen any other law and listed its details at great length -- and Rashi could have had the very same commentary with a slight change of wording to account for the specific law chosen. We're forced to conclude, therefore, that there's a special connection between the laws of shmita and the revelation at mount Sinai during the giving of the Torah. In other words, somehow the laws of shmita, specifically, are representative of all other Torah laws, more so than any other law. But How?
To answer, we need to delve into some Jewish philosophy:
According to Jewish philosophy there is one level of emunah (=trust and belief in the Almighty) that a Jewish farmer may posses where he/she believes that the Almighty created nature and instilled in it everlasting laws. And because we trust the Almighty, we also trust that his laws are eternal. The farmer's emunah then is that if he/she plows, plants, waters and takes care of the field, and all the other conditions are just right (e.g., the temperature, humidity and wind are just right) then according to the laws of nature, which the Almighty himself created, there will be a good yield of crop.
Above that there's a higher level of emunah: the Jewish farmer believes that the Almighty is actively involved in the laws of nature. In other words, this emunah is at that the Almighty is pro-active in the development of the crop, not merely by orchestrating nature as a whole, via some laws, but rather in detail.
Both these levels of emunah are confined to nature, since they are solely within the framework of nature: either at the macro level (the first level of emunah) or at a micro level (the second level of emunah).
However, there's a higher level of emunah yet, as we can see in Vayikra Ch. 25:3-4 which read:
שש שנים תזרע שדך ושש שנים תזמר כרמך ואספת את תבואתה
ובשנה השביעת שבת שבתון יהיה לארץ שבת להשם שדך לא תזרע וכרמך לא תזמר
Loosely translated:
For six years you shall seed your wine and you shall harvest it, and the seventh year shall be a sabbatical to the land (i.e., shmita), a sabbatical to G-d, your field you shall not seed and your vine you shall not prune.
At this is the level of emunah that the farmer believes that really everything is in the hands of the Almighty. On the seventh year the Jewish farmer is not required to plow, plant, water or otherwise take care of the field. As a matter of fact, he/she is prohibited to do so. Yet the land will continue to produce. This teaches us that really, it's the Almighty in control -- not us, for if it was up to us, inaction of the seventh year would mean no food. See the article about Superrational Trust for further clarification on this point.
Whereas the first two levels of emunah are limited by the framework of nature, the third level is not. At the third and higher level of emunah the Jew (farmer or otherwise) believes that although the Almighty acts within nature (making the crop give good yield, for instance) however the flux of abundance comes from a level higher than nature. In other words, Hashem acts within nature but from beyond nature.
What better mitzvah (=commandment), from the set of 613, is there to demonstrate that the flux of abundance originates beyond nature? What better mitzvah is there to demonstrate that the Almighty's ways are incomparable to nature?
Even the mitzvah of the Red Heifer, which is the most irrational mitzvah (as testified by Shlomo HaMelech, King Salomon, the wisest of all people) lacks in this respect. Whereas the Red Heifer defies logic to demonstrate the Hashem is beyond logic and understanding, more so than any other mitzvah, by purifying the tainted while tainting the pure in the process, there is no visible difference to the human eye. An impure person looks no different than a perfectly pure one. We know that there's a difference, but we cannot perceive it. This is precisely where the laws of shmita excel: there is nothing more tangible to a person than food on the table. There's nothing that announces that "The Almighty manipulates nature from beyond the laws of nature" than when the Jewish farmer abstains from working the land on shmita years, and yet there's food in the field, on the table and in the tummy. The farmer made no effort on his-/herown behalf, and yet all his essential needs were taken care of by Hashem.
This is then the connection between Behar and shmita: Rashi's comment can now be understood to also mean that just as the laws of shmita were given in their entirety (that is, in a way that would announce loud and clear that Hashem works within nature but from beyond nature, i.e, just as the laws of shmita affect this lowly world, but are rooted in higher realms) so too all the other mitzvahs. This includes those that we can logically explain -- although there's a logical explanation, you should know that at their essence these mitzvahs are rooted in higher reals, they're all supernal and super-rational. To come to this realization, we specifically need the most tangible instance of such a mitzvah -- shmita laws.
We can now undertand better Pirkei Avot: The first question was asked why shmita was mentioned in the same breath as the prohibition of idol worship, murder and improper relation, in lieu of these three being fundamental laws. The explanation is, then, that shmita is most fundamental from a philosophical point of view as it reflect the supernal source of all Torah laws.
The second question was what's the connection between shmita and the exile, especially in lieu of the fact that shmita laws can certainly not be kept while in exile. The explanation to that is already given at length in the Superrational Trust article. See the part about Hashem defying logic due to the promise/blessing that on the sixth year the land gives the greatest yield.
Good shabbos with lots of emunah and yield both physically and spiritually.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Super-rational trust
B"H
Vayikra (Leviticus) Ch. 25:20-21 reads:
וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת הן לא נזרע ולא נאסף את תבואתנו
וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית ועשת את התבואה לשלש השנים
Loosely translated:
And should you say "what will we eat on the seventh year, since we will not seed nor shall we harvest our crops?" And I shall command upon you My blessing on the sixth year, and [the land] shall produce its crop for three years.
In the previous post it was pointed out that the whole shmitah-cycle and associated laws fit nicely with emunah (=trust in G-d.)
Further analysis reveals how super-rational emunah is:
The nature of things is that the more they're used, the more wear and tear they're exposed to, and the weaker they become. Take a car, as an example: typically it's in a much better condition when the odometer reads 1,000, than when it reads 218,000.
Since a Jewish person is expected to "work the land" for 6 years before letting it rest on the seventh, one might expect that on the first year of the cycle the land is fresh and revived and by the time the 6th year rolls around the fields are overworked and depleted of nutrients. Not so, says Hashem! The natural order of things and rationality not withstanding, on the 6th year when the land should really be depleted that's when fields produce three-fold. All is required of us is to have emunah that indeed that's what going to happen.
When it comes to matters of trust and our connection to the Almighty, rationality can (and often will) get in the way.
Normally a person will refrain from operating a complex device before reading the manufacturer's instructions. Who knows better than the manufacturer of the device to tell you how to make proper use of it. On a incomparably greater scale, who knows better than the Manufacturer of the universe to tell us how to make proper use of the land. All we need to do is read the instruction manual (i.e., Torah).
At a higher level this matter also relates to the situation the Jewish people are in nowadays: as generations pass, we descend further and further spiritually. One might rationally conclude that by the time the sixth millennium ends and the seventh one rolls around the Jewish people will be completely spiritually-depleted, G-d forbid. To say noting about the pogroms, expulsions, forced conversions, mobbings, executions, evil decrees, wars, mayhem and the rest of what the Jewish people gone through, also left deep and painful marks. (This is another meaning for "working the land" -- being involved in lowliest of things.)
In reality it's quite wondrous that we're even here, at this day and age. Rationality cannot explain us. We need to go beyond the rational: in this 6th millennium, Hashem provides us with spiritual strength and stamina -- three-fold -- to overcome all obstacles and succeed in the face of adversity and to arrive into the 7th millennium which is likened to Shabbos (יום שכולו שבת). We can all go from strength to strength (לעלות מחייל לחייל). It's all in the instruction manual: וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית which can now be understood as "and I shall command upon you my blessing on the sixth millennium."
Good Shabbos!
Vayikra (Leviticus) Ch. 25:20-21 reads:
וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעת הן לא נזרע ולא נאסף את תבואתנו
וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית ועשת את התבואה לשלש השנים
Loosely translated:
And should you say "what will we eat on the seventh year, since we will not seed nor shall we harvest our crops?" And I shall command upon you My blessing on the sixth year, and [the land] shall produce its crop for three years.
In the previous post it was pointed out that the whole shmitah-cycle and associated laws fit nicely with emunah (=trust in G-d.)
Further analysis reveals how super-rational emunah is:
The nature of things is that the more they're used, the more wear and tear they're exposed to, and the weaker they become. Take a car, as an example: typically it's in a much better condition when the odometer reads 1,000, than when it reads 218,000.
Since a Jewish person is expected to "work the land" for 6 years before letting it rest on the seventh, one might expect that on the first year of the cycle the land is fresh and revived and by the time the 6th year rolls around the fields are overworked and depleted of nutrients. Not so, says Hashem! The natural order of things and rationality not withstanding, on the 6th year when the land should really be depleted that's when fields produce three-fold. All is required of us is to have emunah that indeed that's what going to happen.
When it comes to matters of trust and our connection to the Almighty, rationality can (and often will) get in the way.
Normally a person will refrain from operating a complex device before reading the manufacturer's instructions. Who knows better than the manufacturer of the device to tell you how to make proper use of it. On a incomparably greater scale, who knows better than the Manufacturer of the universe to tell us how to make proper use of the land. All we need to do is read the instruction manual (i.e., Torah).
At a higher level this matter also relates to the situation the Jewish people are in nowadays: as generations pass, we descend further and further spiritually. One might rationally conclude that by the time the sixth millennium ends and the seventh one rolls around the Jewish people will be completely spiritually-depleted, G-d forbid. To say noting about the pogroms, expulsions, forced conversions, mobbings, executions, evil decrees, wars, mayhem and the rest of what the Jewish people gone through, also left deep and painful marks. (This is another meaning for "working the land" -- being involved in lowliest of things.)
In reality it's quite wondrous that we're even here, at this day and age. Rationality cannot explain us. We need to go beyond the rational: in this 6th millennium, Hashem provides us with spiritual strength and stamina -- three-fold -- to overcome all obstacles and succeed in the face of adversity and to arrive into the 7th millennium which is likened to Shabbos (יום שכולו שבת). We can all go from strength to strength (לעלות מחייל לחייל). It's all in the instruction manual: וצויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה הששית which can now be understood as "and I shall command upon you my blessing on the sixth millennium."
Good Shabbos!
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