In the beginning of parshas Shelach, God tells Moshe Rabbeinu to send spies into the land of Israel, “שלח לך אנשים ויתורו את ארץ כנען .../Send out men who shall spy out the land of Canaan …” However, in parshas Devarim when Moshe Rabbeinu recounts the story, he says that the nation asked him to send the spies. Furthermore, Chazal teach us that sending the spies did not find favor in God’s eyes. How can we reconcile the two versions of this story and why did God command Moshe Rabbeinu to send the spies if He was against it?
The Sfas Emes finds the answer to these questions in the first Midrash on the parsha. The Midrash says that there is nothing as precious to God as a shli’ach mitzvah/one sent to do a mitzvah. An emissary is one whose sole motive is to do the sender’s will. If he has other personal motives, he is no longer simply an emissary. He is on his own mission as well. An emissary who has no personal motives in the mission is called, in the words of the Midrash, one who puts his soul into the success of his mission.
The Chiddushei HaRim, expounding on this point explains that it is highly significant that the two spies Yehoshua sent to Jericho disguised themselves as potters. A clay pot has no intrinsic value. Its value is defined totally by its functionality. The spies were totally prepared to do Yehoshua’s will with absolutely no personal ulterior motives. The significance of being a shli’ach mitzvah is that, as Chazal teach us, a person sent to do a mitzvah is protected against harm.
Both the version that Moshe Rabbeinu relates in Devarim and the version of our parsha are true. The people wanted to send spies into the land. Out of kindness, God commanded Moshe to send spies even though the nation had already asked for it and even though He was against it. The spies were being sent on a dangerous mission. It was physically dangerous and spiritually dangerous. God turned the mission into a mitzvah in order to afford the spies protection. They became shlichai mitzvah/emissaries sent to do a mitzvah. In order to become true emissaries, though, they needed to suppress their own desires and motives and proceed with the mission simply because God commanded it. If they had done this they would have been protected. Ten of the spies failed to do this and the results were tragic.
This Midrash is teaching us something very important about our lives in this world. The Chiddushei HaRim used to say that we are all shlichei mitzvah/emissaries sent do to a mitzvah. God sent us into this world to do His will. In this sense, we are His agents. However, we are only His agents, in the true sense, when we perform His mitzvos because we want to do His will rather than for any ulterior personal motives.
This world is a dangerous place fraught with pitfalls and traps. It is easy to be snared. The advice we glean from the Midrash is to suppress our own desires to do the will of God. We have the ability to transform all of our daily activities into mitzvos. In fact, another Midrash in this week’s parsha says that God left nothing out. There is no action that cannot be transformed into a mitzvah. By making everything we do a mitzvah we connect to the inner Godly life force that inheres in each action. This connection affords us protection in this world.
There was, however, a positive mission that spies were sent to accomplish. Before entering the land of Israel, there was no need to work at attaining any physical need. Every physical need was provided. God was manifest in the daily lives of the people. After entering the land of Israel, the nation would have to work within nature to satisfy their physical needs. Maintaining the same level of faith while living within the boundaries of nature would not be easy. The Chiddushei HaRim explains that the larger context of the spies’ mission was to help make this difficult transition as smooth as possible. They were supposed to show that the light of the Torah exists within nature as well. In fact, the word for spies - meraglim - has the same root as hergeil/habit. The spies were supposed to teach us how to bring the light of the Torah into our daily lives.
This concept is alluded to in the Zohar on a pasuk from this week’s parsha, “... ויבֹא עד חברון/… he came to Chevron.” The Zohar explains that Chevron represents the Torah SheBe’al Peh/Oral Law. The word Chevron has the same root as the Hebrew word for connection – chibur. A person who studies the oral law is called a chaver. All a Torah scholar’s actions are drawn after the Torah. His essence is connected to the Torah. He brings the light of the Torah into his daily activities. For this reason we say in our morning brachos, “שתרגילנו בתורתך/You have made us accustomed to Your Torah.” In essence we are praising God for helping us to bring the light of the Torah into our daily lives, through the mitzvos.
God told Moshe, “... ויתורו את ארץ כנען/… and they shall spy out the land of Canaan.” “ויתורו/And they shall spy out” has the same root as the word for Torah. God wanted the spies to show the nation that it was possible to bring the light of the Torah into the physical world. It was possible to live in the physical world, to work within the boundaries of nature and still live a spiritual life. This was the spies’ ultimate mission. This is our ultimate mission as well and it is accomplished by realizing that in every aspect of our lives we are shlichai mitzvah/emissaries to do a mitzvah in this world.
Showing posts with label Talmid Chacham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talmid Chacham. Show all posts
Monday, June 04, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Tzav 5631 First Ma'amar
“אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה/A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar, it may not be extinguished.” Chazal address the difficult language of this pasuk. If the intent is to teach us that a fire shall burn continuously, then the wording should be “אש תוקד תמיד/A fire shall burn continuously” The wording “אש תמיד תוקד/A perpetual fire shall burn,” seems to be teaching us something about the fire itself.
The Zohar explains that the perpetual fire in this pasuk alludes to the Torah since the Torah is compared to fire and we are required to learn it perpetually. The pasuk is telling us that sins cannot extinguish the fire of Torah – the spiritual gains that a person attained from learning Torah. This implies that sins can extinguish the spiritual gains attained from doing mitzvos. Here’s why. Mitzvos connect us to God. When a person sins he severs that connection. (Note: The Zohar expounds on the concept of connection through mitzvos and severance because of sins. A person’s soul comprises three primary components which vary in their level of spirituality. The Nefesh HaChaim uses the metaphor of a string which stretches from the physical body, the lowest spiritual level, to the soul’s source, the highest level of spirituality. When a person performs a mitzvah, he strengthens the connection between the components and between the soul and it’s source which ultimately is God Himself. When a person sins, the connection is weakened and in some cases actually broken. - MDT) In the words of the Zohar, the sin extinguishes the mitzvah. However, when one learns Torah, he accepts the Torah; it enters him and becomes a part of him. Even if such a person sins, his Torah cannot be extinguished since it is a part of him.
The Sfas Emes explains that we can raise our performance of mitzvos to a level on which sins cannot extinguish them either. The Zohar teaches that not only Torah but also a Talmid Chacham’s mitzvos cannot be extinguished. How is the Talmid Chacham’s mitzvos on the level of his Torah learning?
Rashi explains that “אש תמיד/A perpetual fire” alludes to the menorah whose light is described as “נר תמיד/a perpetual lamp.” The Torah is teaching us that the lamps of the menorah must be lit from the altar’s fire. The lamps of the menorah suggest mitzvos as in the pasuk in Mishlei, “... נר מצוה ותורה אור/… mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light…” The Sfas Emes explains that this pasuk teaches us the relationship between the Torah and mitzvos. The Torah is light. Light needs a vessel to contain it, otherwise it dissipates. Mitzvos are the vessels that hold the light of the Torah in the physical world. Just like the fire of the altar lights the lamps of the menorah, the Torah lights up the mitzvah, as it were.
When a Talmid Chacham performs a mitzvah, he understands that the light in his mitzvah is the light of the Torah. When he does the mitzvah, he accepts this light into him. The effect of the mitzvah is more than connecting him to God. It becomes part of him just like the Torah that he learns. This is exemplified not in the way the Talmid Chacham performs the mitzvah. The act of the mitzvah is the same regardless of who does it. It is exemplified rather by how he makes the brachah preceding the mitzvah. The brachah is where we relate the mitzvah to its source, the Torah. When the Talmid Chacham says, “וצונו/and He commanded us,” he is acknowledging that the Torah is the source of the mitzvah. He is acknowledging that the light of the Torah fills the mitzvah. He is accepting that spiritual light into him and is becoming one with it. A mitzvah performed with these thoughts in mind cannot be extinguished by sin.
The Sfas Emes teaches us that we can all raise our mitzvah performance to the level of the Talmid Chacham’s. How? How do we overcome the temptation to perform mitzvos in a ritualistic manner? Many times a person does a mitzvah for ulterior motives. Sometimes a person may perform a mitzvah without really wanting to. These mitzvos connect us to God to be sure, however, sins will sever that connection. How, then, can we overcome these thoughts so that our mitzvos afford us eternal spiritual achievements that sins cannot extinguish?
The answer comes from a Zohar at the beginning of this week’s parsha. The Zohar explains the pasuk from the beginning of the parsha, “... הִוא העֹלה על מוקדה על המזבח .../… it is the burnt offering on the flame of the altar …” The literal translation of “עֹלה/burnt offering” is, “rise up.” The Zohar explains that this refers to evil thoughts that arise in one’s mind confusing him and steering him off the true path. The way to rid oneself of these thoughts is made clear by the words which follow, “על מוקדה/… on the flame.” They must be burnt out.
How do we burn away those thoughts which prevent us from performing mitzvos with the proper intent and focus? The Sfas Emes explains that when we contemplate the kindness that God does for each and every Jew every moment, a burning desire to serve Him arises in our hearts. This burning desire pushes the confusion out of our minds. This is what the Zohar means when it says that we must burn out the evil thoughts.
This idea is hinted at a few p’sukim later, “ובִער עליה הכֹהן ... בבֹקר בבֹקר/the priest shall kindle on (the altar) … every morning.” The Zohar explains that priests, whose work in the Beis HaMikdash brings us closer to God, represent kindness. We also find that the morning is associated with kindness (e.g. “להגיד בבֹקר חסדך/to tell your kindnesses in the morning.”) So, the priest, representing God’s kindness, burns away evil on the altar each morning, a time especially associated with kindness. By emulating the priests, concentrating on God’s kindness, we burn away the evil.
Our job, then, entails cultivating a healthy recognition of God’s kindness. Being constantly aware of God’s kindnesses in our lives creates in us a burning desire to serve Him. The awareness itself will affect the way in which we perform mitzvos and lead our lives.
The Zohar explains that the perpetual fire in this pasuk alludes to the Torah since the Torah is compared to fire and we are required to learn it perpetually. The pasuk is telling us that sins cannot extinguish the fire of Torah – the spiritual gains that a person attained from learning Torah. This implies that sins can extinguish the spiritual gains attained from doing mitzvos. Here’s why. Mitzvos connect us to God. When a person sins he severs that connection. (Note: The Zohar expounds on the concept of connection through mitzvos and severance because of sins. A person’s soul comprises three primary components which vary in their level of spirituality. The Nefesh HaChaim uses the metaphor of a string which stretches from the physical body, the lowest spiritual level, to the soul’s source, the highest level of spirituality. When a person performs a mitzvah, he strengthens the connection between the components and between the soul and it’s source which ultimately is God Himself. When a person sins, the connection is weakened and in some cases actually broken. - MDT) In the words of the Zohar, the sin extinguishes the mitzvah. However, when one learns Torah, he accepts the Torah; it enters him and becomes a part of him. Even if such a person sins, his Torah cannot be extinguished since it is a part of him.
The Sfas Emes explains that we can raise our performance of mitzvos to a level on which sins cannot extinguish them either. The Zohar teaches that not only Torah but also a Talmid Chacham’s mitzvos cannot be extinguished. How is the Talmid Chacham’s mitzvos on the level of his Torah learning?
Rashi explains that “אש תמיד/A perpetual fire” alludes to the menorah whose light is described as “נר תמיד/a perpetual lamp.” The Torah is teaching us that the lamps of the menorah must be lit from the altar’s fire. The lamps of the menorah suggest mitzvos as in the pasuk in Mishlei, “... נר מצוה ותורה אור/… mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light…” The Sfas Emes explains that this pasuk teaches us the relationship between the Torah and mitzvos. The Torah is light. Light needs a vessel to contain it, otherwise it dissipates. Mitzvos are the vessels that hold the light of the Torah in the physical world. Just like the fire of the altar lights the lamps of the menorah, the Torah lights up the mitzvah, as it were.
When a Talmid Chacham performs a mitzvah, he understands that the light in his mitzvah is the light of the Torah. When he does the mitzvah, he accepts this light into him. The effect of the mitzvah is more than connecting him to God. It becomes part of him just like the Torah that he learns. This is exemplified not in the way the Talmid Chacham performs the mitzvah. The act of the mitzvah is the same regardless of who does it. It is exemplified rather by how he makes the brachah preceding the mitzvah. The brachah is where we relate the mitzvah to its source, the Torah. When the Talmid Chacham says, “וצונו/and He commanded us,” he is acknowledging that the Torah is the source of the mitzvah. He is acknowledging that the light of the Torah fills the mitzvah. He is accepting that spiritual light into him and is becoming one with it. A mitzvah performed with these thoughts in mind cannot be extinguished by sin.
The Sfas Emes teaches us that we can all raise our mitzvah performance to the level of the Talmid Chacham’s. How? How do we overcome the temptation to perform mitzvos in a ritualistic manner? Many times a person does a mitzvah for ulterior motives. Sometimes a person may perform a mitzvah without really wanting to. These mitzvos connect us to God to be sure, however, sins will sever that connection. How, then, can we overcome these thoughts so that our mitzvos afford us eternal spiritual achievements that sins cannot extinguish?
The answer comes from a Zohar at the beginning of this week’s parsha. The Zohar explains the pasuk from the beginning of the parsha, “... הִוא העֹלה על מוקדה על המזבח .../… it is the burnt offering on the flame of the altar …” The literal translation of “עֹלה/burnt offering” is, “rise up.” The Zohar explains that this refers to evil thoughts that arise in one’s mind confusing him and steering him off the true path. The way to rid oneself of these thoughts is made clear by the words which follow, “על מוקדה/… on the flame.” They must be burnt out.
How do we burn away those thoughts which prevent us from performing mitzvos with the proper intent and focus? The Sfas Emes explains that when we contemplate the kindness that God does for each and every Jew every moment, a burning desire to serve Him arises in our hearts. This burning desire pushes the confusion out of our minds. This is what the Zohar means when it says that we must burn out the evil thoughts.
This idea is hinted at a few p’sukim later, “ובִער עליה הכֹהן ... בבֹקר בבֹקר/the priest shall kindle on (the altar) … every morning.” The Zohar explains that priests, whose work in the Beis HaMikdash brings us closer to God, represent kindness. We also find that the morning is associated with kindness (e.g. “להגיד בבֹקר חסדך/to tell your kindnesses in the morning.”) So, the priest, representing God’s kindness, burns away evil on the altar each morning, a time especially associated with kindness. By emulating the priests, concentrating on God’s kindness, we burn away the evil.
Our job, then, entails cultivating a healthy recognition of God’s kindness. Being constantly aware of God’s kindnesses in our lives creates in us a burning desire to serve Him. The awareness itself will affect the way in which we perform mitzvos and lead our lives.
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