Tisa & Parshas Parah 5631 First Ma'amar

1. What is the nature of spiritual impurity (טומאה) and spiritual purity (טהרה)? The Chidushei HaRim explains that spiritual impurity means that one’s internal spiritual vitality has left him. The spiritually impure person can get it back by subordinating himself to God’s will. By disregarding his own life desires in favor of God’s he can renew his spiritual vitality. We learn this from the law of the Parah Adumah (red heifer). The ashes of the Parah Adumah are mixed with water and sprinkled on the impure person thus purifying him. According to the Chidushei HaRim these ashes suggest a nullification of one’s self. The lesson of the Parah Adumah is that by nullifying our own desires in favor of God’s, we come close to Him thereby renewing our own life force. This is why Parshas HaChodesh follows Parshas Parah. Parshas HaChodesh represents renewal (חודש/Month has the same root as חדש/new.)

The Sfas Emes understands this from the first Midrash in Chukas. The Midrash begins, “זאת חקת .../This is the law …” and then brings a pasuk from Iyov, “מי יתן טהור מטמא לא אחד/Who produces purity from impurity. No one!” The Midrash translates this pasuk, “Who produces purity from impurity? Is it not the One?” Producing purity from impurity seems impossible. However, it is only impossible if we believe that impurity has an autonomous existence. If we understand that even the impurity has a point of spiritual vitality at its core, that God gives existence to the impure as well, it becomes clear that the only difference between purity and impurity is how revealed that spiritual point of vitality is to us. This spiritual point is simply God’s life force.

Since this life force is ubiquitous and is the same for all, the Chidushei HaRim refers to it as, זאת/This (singular). The parsha of Parah Adumah appropriately begins with this word instead of אלה/These. The Parah Adumah contrasts with the golden calf where the idol worshipers said, “אלה אלהיך ישראל/Israel, these are your gods.” The ashes of the Parah Adumah teach us to subordinate ourselves to the One God, in contradistinction to idols that symbolize disparate forces in the world. In fact, Chazal teach us that the Parah Adumah is a rectification for the sin of the golden calf.

2. The Midrash says that we must keep the mitzvah of Parah Adumah simply because God decreed it. This implies that it has no reason. However another Midrash in the parsha tells us that God said He would reveal the reasons for this mitzvah to Moshe Rabeinu! Yet another Midrash tells us that Shlomo HaMelech understood the reason behind every mitzvah except for the mitzvah of Parah Adumah. Regarding Parah Adumah Shlomo HaMelech tells us in Koheles, “... אמרתי אחכמה והיא רחוקה ממני/… I said I will become wise but it eludes me.”

It is clear from these Midrashim that the mitzvah of Parah Adumah has reasons. The Sfas Emes explains that the reasons are above the natural world. A direct approach to finding the reasons therefore, will not work. The correct approach is to accept the mitzvah simply because God decreed it even though we do not understand. Then, paradoxically, God grants us an aspect of understanding as well. This is why God revealed the reasons to Moshe Rabeinu. Moshe Rabeinu represents the knowledge repository and highest level of the nation of Israel. On that level, God grants understanding. Shlomo HaMelech, on the other hand, wanted to understand the reasons for this mitzvah in order to become wise, “אמרתי אחכמה/I said I will become wise.” Because of his approach, understanding was kept from him, “והיא רחוקה ממני/but it eludes me.”

Tisa 5631 First Ma'amar

In the beginning of this week’s parsha, Bezalel is appointed to build the Mishkan and its vessels. This is followed by an admonition to keep the Shabbos, “אך את שבתתי תשמרו .../Only keep my Sabbaths …” The word אך/only, is used in the Torah to exclude. Rashi explains that it comes here to exclude Shabbos from the work of the Mishkan. Bezalel and his team were not permitted to build the Mishkan on Shabbos. The Ramban has difficulty with this. The Ramban explains that when the word אך/only precedes a mitzvah, it restricts the application of the mitzvah. (e.g. אך/Only restricts the mitzvah of Shabbos with regard to circumcision. We may perform circumcisions on Shabbos.) Applying this logic to the Mishkan, if the word אך/only were coming to restrict Shabbos with regard to work on the Mishkan, it should mean that work on the Mishkan is permitted on Shabbos. Why, then, does Rashi say that from אך/only we learn that work on the Mishkan is prohibited on Shabbos?

In order to answer the Ramban’s question, we need to understand the relationship between Shabbos and the work of the Mishkan.

On Shabbos we can more easily be aware of and experience God’s presence. God’s presence, of course, is everywhere always. However, during the week it is more difficult to experience. He is hidden, in a manner of speaking. There are people, though, who experience God’s presence during the week as well. Torah scholars, for example, through their Torah learning, are aware of and experience God’s presence even during the week. This is why the Zohar calls Torah scholars Shabbos. In fact, Shabbos can be defined as a state of being connected to the God, the source of life.

The Chidushei HaRim points out that like Shabbos, the purpose of the Mishkan is the revelation of God’s presence. Sefer Shmos ends with the building of the Mishkan and the revelation of God. The Ramban explains in his introduction to Sefer Shmos that the revelation of God at the end of Sefer Shmos was the culmination of the redemption from Egypt.

Chazal tell us that after the revelation at Mount Sinai and before the sin of the golden calf, we were on such a high spiritual level, God was so revealed to us, that we were free of the evil inclination and death. Chazal teach us that when we said, “נעשה ונשמע/we will do and we will listen” at Mount Sinai, we were each given two crowns, one for “נעשה/we will do” and one for “נשמע/we will listen.” These two crowns symbolized the high spiritual level we were on. Before the sin, we experienced closeness to God without the Mishkan.

After the sin of the golden calf, being on a lower spiritual level, the two crowns were taken away from us. God was hidden from us. We needed the Mishkan to be able to experience closeness to God. The Arizal taught that on Shabbos, though, Moshe Rabeinu returned the crowns to us. The Arizal is teaching us that on Shabbos, God reveals Himself. On Shabbos, God makes it easier for us to be aware of Him. On Shabbos we can feel close to God without the Mishkan. This is the meaning of the pasuk in this week’s parsha referring to keeping Shabbos, “... לדעת כי אני ה' מקדשכם/… to know that I am God who sanctifies you.”

This explains the relationship between the Mishkan and Shabbos. The purpose of both is to allow us to experience closeness with God.

We find another example of the word אך/only regarding purifying vessels that we receive from non-Jews, “אך את הזהב ואת הכסף .../only the gold and silver …” In this case, as well, אך/only qualifies that which follows it. When purifying the gold, it must not have any rust on it. אך/Only tells us that only unsoiled gold can be purified.

The Sfas Emes explains that in this sense אך/only qualifies the day of Shabbos, as well. On Shabbos, there is no barrier between us and God. Because there is no barrier, God’s presence is manifest even without the Mishkan. This is why Bezalel was not permitted to do the work of the Mishkan on Shabbos. The Torah is commanding us to experience God’s presence on Shabbos, through Shabbos alone, without the Mishkan.

For this reason, as well, Chazal learn that only the thirty nine types of work found in the Mishkan are prohibited on Shabbos. God is the life giving force behind every action that we do. It appears, though, as if we are autonomous, that we are running on our own power. The thirty nine different types of work that we do during the week, therefore, actually hide God. They act as a barrier. In reality, though, we only act because God gives us strength to do so. Our mission during the week is to realize that our actions and activities are being powered by God. This realization enables us to feel God’s presence during the week as well. Since Shabbos was given to us so that we can more easily experience closeness to God, the thirty nine types of work that hide His presence are prohibited.

Contemplating this during the week as we go about our daily activities is a kind of keeping the Shabbos even during the week. Chazal hint at this when they advise us that we can keep the mitzvah of remembering the Shabbos during the week as well. If we find something good during the week we should set it aside for Shabbos. We’ve explained that Shabbos can be defined as a state of connectedness to God. Accordingly, understanding that God is behind every activity and action that we do during the week is an aspect of keeping Shabbos.

Purim 5631 Second Ma'amar

We find in Megillas Esther, “... הפיל פור ... מיום ליום ומחֹדש לחדש .../… he cast a lot … for every day and for every month …” If he cast a lot for every day, every month is included. Why did he cast both for every day and also for every month? The Midrash explains that first he cast a lot for the days of the week. This did not work because the archangel of each day complained to God. When Haman saw that the lot for days was not working, he switched to months. This Midrash is difficult, though, because even the lot for months must fall on a specific day of the week. What did Haman gain by switching to months?

The Sfas Emes explains that there is a fundamental difference between days of the week and days of the month. The Gemara, noting this difference, says that Shabbos is established and set from the Creation – the days of the week never change – whereas the Jewish People establish the holidays – establishing when the month starts, was given to the nation of Israel.

On a deeper plane the Sfas Emes explains that God did not merely give us the power to establish new months. The new month is a metaphor for renewal in the natural world. With the ability to establish new months, God made us the vehicle through which new life is drawn into the world. Generally we don’t think of nature as needing renewal. Nature appears to be constant, following set and unchanging laws. Things seem the same today as they did yesterday and the day before. Actually, though, God is constantly renewing the Creation. The act of creation was not a one time event. Rather, it is constant and continuous. God’s will for the Creation to continue is fed to the physical world through a spiritual hierarchy of which the nation of Israel is an integral part. Therefore, the creative life force that is responsible for the continuing existence of everything we see, comes through us. The cycle of the lunar month symbolizes this constant renewal of Creation because it is so blatant. Every month the moon waxes, wanes, disappears and reappears. Significantly, the Hebrew word for month – חודש – has the same root as the Hebrew for new – חדש.

For Haman the wicked, our connection with the source of life was anathema. Haman was at the exact opposite end of the life – death spectrum. We are part of the life giving structure of the Creation. Chazal tell us that the wicked, on the other hand, are considered dead even as they live. Haman, the wicked, had cut himself off from the source of life.

Haman understood this clearly. When he proposed our destruction to Achashveirosh, he said, “ישנו עם אחד מפוזר ומפורד .../There is one nation, scattered and separated …” Even though we were scattered and separated, we were one nation. The surface view of the Creation shows innumerable different and disparate things. However, at the most fundamental level, there is one creative life force that is responsible for the entire Creation’s continued existence. Haman understood that the nation of Israel represents this Oneness that underlies everything. Even in exile, when there is much less awareness of God, we remain one nation. Our very existence testifies to the fundamental unity, the Godly life force that underpins every disparate part of Creation. In fact, our primary mission in the exile is to become aware ourselves and to make others aware of this. This is what so greatly angered Haman. We were an intrusion on his turf, so to speak. Haman is part of the physical world. But he is wicked and wants nothing to do with the source of life. We are a threat to him because we represent the source of life.

And this is the reason he switched his lots to months after days of the week failed. As we indicated earlier, the days of the week culminating in Shabbos are God given from the time of Creation. They are above nature. Haman has no part of it. Because Haman was part of the physical world, he could have more “success” with months which represent renewal in the physical world.

Haman wanted to destroy us because we represented connection to the source of life in the natural world and he wanted to remain disconnected from God, the source of life. It is particularly significant, because of this, that the miracle of Purim occurred specifically within the bounds of nature. The miracle had to occur within nature in order to show that nature does not “belong to” Haman and Amalek. Rather, God is the source of life and existence in the natural world. This explains why the Megilla associates the miracle with the month in which it happened, “והחודש אשר נהפך מיגון לשמחה/… and the month which turned from sorrow to joy …” The Megilla is alluding to this concept by emphasizing that the miracle did not exceed the bounds of nature.

Tetzaveh (Parshas Zachor) 5631 First Ma'amar

“ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל .../And you will command the children of Israel…” In the first pasuk of this week’s parsha, God instructs Moshe Rabeinu to command the children of Israel regarding the mitzvah of lighting the menorah. Usually when God instructs Moshe to tell the people a commandment, He says, “... דבר אל בני ישראל/… speak to the children of Israel.” Why does God say here, “ואתה תצוה .../And you will command …” when instructing Moshe about this particular mitzvah?

The Sfas Emes teaches us that the נרות/lamps of the menorah allude to the mitzvos. In Mishlei we find, “... נר מצוה ותורה אור .../… a commandment is a lamp and Torah is light …” Just as light needs a lamp to hold it, so too, the light of the Torah needs a vessel to contain it. The vessel that holds the light of the Torah in this world is the mitzvos. The light of the Torah is ephemeral. It needs a mechanism for being drawn into and influencing the physical world. That mechanism is the mitzvos.

When we perform mitzvos we bring the light of the Torah into the world. In fact, the Zohar says that our 248 limbs parallel the 248 positive commandments. Our very limbs become the conduits through which the light of the Torah is drawn down into this world. When we understand that we are merely conduits, that there is nothing inherent in our actions or in us that brings spiritual light into the world, that it is the will of God that the specific actions of the mitzvos have this effect, we accomplish the will of God. That is why this specific mitzvah of preparing the menorah starts with, “ואתה תצוה .../And you will command …” It is only because God commanded us to do the mitzvos that they have this quality.

The Midrash, explaining the first few words of this week’s parsha says that the poor of Israel are equal to Eliyahu HaNavi and Daniel. How does the Midrash arrive at this conclusion from, “ואתה תצוה .../And you will command…”? According to the Sfas Emes, however, it is clear. A Jew, regardless of his spiritual level, who performs a mitzvah with the understanding that the light of that mitzvah comes through him from God, is on the level of our greatest prophets. This is because when a person does a mitzvah he connects to God. In fact, the root of the word mitzvah is the same as that of the Aramaic “צוותא/connection”. It is encouraging to know that regardless of our backgrounds and spiritual state, each of us can do the will of God and bring the Torah’s light into this world by being aware of this when performing the mitzvos.

The Chidushei HaRim understands this concept from the brachah we make before doing a mitzvah. We say “... אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו .../… that He made us holy with His mitzvos and commanded us …” We are able to do the will of God and bring the light of the Torah into the world through the mitzvos, only because this is the way God structured the world. He commanded us to do the mitzvos. Therefore, we are able to be His conduits to bring His light into the world.

The Chidushei HaRim explains that this is the intent of Chazal when they said that a person who wants to protect his assets should plant an adar tree as we find in Tehillim, “אדיר במרום ה'/God is strong on high.” Planting an adar tree is a metaphor for knowing that our assets and strength, everything really, comes from God. Chazal are teaching us that the awareness itself is protective and strengthening. This concept and metaphor applies to the month of Adar as well. The month of Adar, then, is an especially appropriate time to work on our awareness that when we perform the mitzvos we are conduits for drawing God’s light, the light of the Torah into the physical world.

Terumah 5631 Second Ma'amar

In this week’s parsha, God describes the Mishkan and its utensils to Moshe Rabeinu. The Midrash tells us that because Moshe Rabeinu had difficulty understanding the intricacies of the Menorah, God showed him a virtual Menorah. Even so, Moshe Rabeinu found it too difficult so God told him to throw a talent of gold into the fire for Him to fashion.

The Sfas Emes asks that if Moshe Rabeinu could not make the Menorah why did God bother showing it to him in the first place? God, after all, certainly knew that this was beyond Moshe Rabeinu’s capabilities. The Sfas Emes explains that it was crucial for Moshe Rabeinu to desire to make the Menorah, even if he could not. God showed Moshe Rabeinu a virtual Menorah so that he would know what he must desire. Moshe Rabeinu then did whatever he could to the best of his ability. Because of Moshe Rabeinu’s desire to see the completed Menorah, God helped and finished the job.

The Sfas Emes says that this is an important lesson that applies to every Jew and to every mitzvah for we certainly do not have the power to achieve the will of God. How could we? God is infinite and we are finite. However, we are required to yearn to achieve the will of God and to work towards that goal to the best of our abilities. The will of God is attained, with God’s help even if it is beyond our capabilities, according to the intensity of our desire.

Along these same lines the Chidushei HaRim explains a Gemara in Maseches Megillah. Rebbi Yitzchak says that if one will tell you that he worked hard in Torah and he found success, believe him (יגעתי ומצאתי תאמין). The Chidushei HaRim points out the incongruity in Rebbi Yitzchak’s words. Rebbi Yitzchak’s choice of words connotes a found item. Chazal tell us that items are found unintentionally (ג' באין בהיסח הדעת ... מציאה), the opposite of focused work towards a goal. Conventionally, if a person works hard and says that he succeeded and realized his goal, we tend to believe him. Why does Rebbi Yitzchak say, “he found success”?

The Chidushei HaRim answers that Rebbi Yitzchak is teaching us a profound lesson about success in Torah. The reality is that an understanding of the ultimate truth in the Torah is beyond our capabilities. The only way to reach this understanding is for it to be given to us. Rebbi Yitzchak is teaching us that God gives the gift of understanding the Torah to those who try hard to acquire it.

We see this clearly when Moshe Rabeinu ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. He worked hard. He did not eat or drink for forty days. At the end of the forty days the pasuk relates, ויתן אל משה ... שתי לחת העדת/He gave Moshe … the two tablets of testimony …” The Midrash says that the Torah was given to Moshe Rabeinu as a gift.

When it comes to serving God, He helps us to attain goals that are beyond our abilities. The key to success is the desire for it.

Terumah 5631 First Ma'amar

A recurring theme throughout the Torah is that God reveals Himself to us according to our level of belief in Him. A person, who believes that God gives existence every moment to every thing and every action, will experience God’s presence in every thing and every action.

We see this idea regarding learning and understanding Torah, particularly תורה שבעל פה/the Oral Law. The Torah can be understood on many levels. Each person understands it according to the intensity of his desire to understand it. The reason this idea applies to learning Torah is because the Torah itself is a revelation of God. Explaining this, the first Midrash in the parsha, expounding on the pasuk, “ ... ויקחו לי תרומה .../… take for Me a contribution …”, says that after a sale, the seller no longer has any ties to the object he sold. The Torah is different. God, as it were, sold us the Torah and Himself with it. So, the more a person wants to understand, the more God reveals Himself to that person through the Torah.

The same motif clearly applies to serving God. The pasuk in Tehillim states, “בטח בה' ועשה טוב שכן בארץ ורעה אמונה/Trust in God and do good so that you may dwell in the land and nourish yourself with belief.” Chazal tell us that according to the strength of our belief, God reveals Himself to us by helping us to be successful in serving Him. Trusting in God means being sure that He will help us succeed in our service towards Him. Many times, a person thinks regarding giving tzedakah, “If I give now, what will I have tomorrow?” Chazal tell us that believers give knowing that God will give them more. It is specifically because they give today, that they are blessed with more.

The Chiddushei HaRim explains the pasuk, “ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו/Blessed is the man who trusts in God, then God will be his security,” along the same lines. According to the level of man’s trust in God, God will be his security.

We find this same idea in this week’s parsha. “ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם/Make me a sanctuary so that I may dwell amongst them.” The Hebrew root of the word “מקדש/sanctuary, is the same as the Hebrew word for holy – קדוש. קדוש/holy also connotes separated. When we say that God is holy, we are saying that he is separate, hidden. According to the level of our belief that He is hidden in every thing and every action, He will dwell amongst us. We will merit an awareness of God in every thing and every action. In this sense, God’s revelation is dependent on us.

Chazal hint at this when they say, “במידה שאדם מודד מודדין לו/A man is measured according to his own measurement.” God is infinite and everywhere. But He is hidden. He is revealed in this world in measured doses. According to the measure of a person belief in God’s providence, he is granted an equal measure of awareness of God’s presence. God’s revelation is Truth. Truth becomes revealed based on our belief. Then the revealed Truth nourishes and helps our belief in a cycle.

This is also the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim, “ה' רֹעי לא אחסר/God is my shepherd I shall not lack.” Proportionate to my belief that God is my shepherd, I will merit an awareness of His providence and I shall not lack. Similarly, according to the Rav of Neschiz, David HaMelech is praying that he not lack saying that God is his shepherd.

We find the same concept regarding Shabbos. God is more revealed on Shabbos and more hidden during the week. According to how much we work on our belief during the week, the workdays, we will experience God’s presence on Shabbos. Shabbos then nourishes and supports our belief. That’s why the Zohar calls the Shabbos meals, “סעודתא דמהימנותא/meals of belief. The Shabbos experience affects how we believe during the coming week.

In the Midrash we find that God says, “…make me a room that I can dwell among you.” The word for “I will dwell” in Hebrew is “אדור.” The Chidushei HaRim notes that אדור/I will dwell, has the same root as the word for strength (as in, “אדיר במרום ה'/God is strong on high.) It is encouraging, it gives us strength to know that everything in a person’s life comes from God. This is the key behind the month of Adar which also has the same root as the Hebrew word for “strength” and “dwell.” It is appropriate during this month to submit ourselves to God’s will, understand and work on our belief that everything that happens to us comes from Him and that He is the power behind everything including our own actions. The Sfas Emes is teaching us that we can be secure in the knowledge that when we “do good” by serving Him, by giving tzedakah and by putting ourselves out for Him, He is there for us and will help us succeed.

Mishpatim 5631 Second Ma'amar

At the time of the revelation on Mount Sinai, God instructs Moshe Rabeinu regarding the nation’s upcoming journey to the land of Israel, “הנה אנֹכי שֹׁלח מלאך לפניך לשמרך בדרך ... אל תמר בו ... כי שמי בקרבו ... ועבדתם את ה' אלקיך וברך את לחמך ... והסרֹתי מחלה מקרבך/Behold I am sending an angel before you to safeguard you on the way … do not defy him … for My name is within him … You shall serve God your Lord and He will bless your bread … I will remove illness from your midst.”

The Sfas Emes understands this paragraph as a metaphor explaining the difference between serving God during the days of the week and on Shabbos. First, a description of the metaphor, followed by how the Sfas Emes sees it in the p’sukim.

The Torah requires us to work during the week, “שֵׁשֶת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד .../You shall work for six days …” During the week the Torah tells us, essentially, to immerse ourselves in the matters of this world. Should we not live a life of holiness? The Sfas Emes explains that holiness is hidden in our weekday activities. We are able to draw out the holiness and transform our activities into mitzvos. How so? God gives life and existence to everything continuously. Existence is a continuing act of creation. We and every other part of the Creation continue to exist is so that we may do God’s will. Since God enables every action we take, it follows that every action can be a tool to do His will. Every action is a potential mitzvah.

The p’sukim mentioned above suggest this. The angel that God sent is the holy life force within every part of the Creation. We are required to recognize it by striving to do God’s will with everything and every action. Regarding this the pasuk says, “אל תמר בו ... כי שמי בקרבו/Do not defy him … for My name is within him.” When we go to work without recognizing the angel within our work, without recognizing the potential holiness inherent in our work, we are defying the angel. Significantly, the Hebrew word for work – מלאכה has the same root as the Hebrew for angel – מלאך. The מלאכה/work enclothes the מלאך/angel.

During the week this applies to our weekday work. On Shabbos, though, there is no מלאכה/work. On Shabbos we can serve God without the outer shell of work. Shabbos, Chazal tell us, is like the next world. Just like there is no work in the next world, so too, there is no work on Shabbos. This is alluded to by the pasuk, “ועבדתם את ה'/You shall serve God.” It implies that there are ways of serving God directly.

The pasuk continues that God will remove illness from our midst. The automatic result of serving God on Shabbos is that He will remove all illness from our midst. According to the Sfas Emes, eating and the removal of illness is symbolic of all our activities and needs. This is why, on Shabbos we do not request things for ourselves in our prayers. There is no need to. Why does the pasuk speak specifically about eating, then? The reason is that there is a particular physical connection between eating and illness. The Zohar says that all of the body’s illnesses have dietary causes.

How does serving God on Shabbos result in His taking care of all our needs? The Sfas Emes explains. Directly following the requirement to serve God the pasuk states that God will bless our bread. The Hebrew word for bless – ברך has the same root as the Hebrew for a type of grafting – הַבְרָכָה. Grafting means that a branch from one tree attaches to and gains nourishment from a different tree. The pasuk is teaching us to “graft” our mundane activities, such as eating, to God by using them to serve Him. We then gain nourishment from Him and He removes illness from our midst and takes care of our needs.

Mishpatim 5631 First Ma'amar

“ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם/And these are the laws that you will place before them.” The Torah contains many laws. Some are decrees having no apparent reason while others are rational laws found in most cultures. The commandment to eat only the flesh of animals that have split hooves and chew their cuds, for example, is a decree having no apparent reason. The commandments not to steal and murder on the other hand, seem very logical, indeed. In this first pasuk of the parsha, God commanded Moshe Rabeinu to place the rational laws before them. The word “משפטים/laws” refers to rational laws.

The Midrash says that this parsha directly follows the story of the revelation of God on Mount Sinai and the giving of the ten commandments to teach us that these rational laws were given on Mount Sinai, too. Our parsha begins with the word “And” indicating that this parsha is a continuation of and connected to the previous one. But why must the Torah make a point of teaching us that these laws were given at Mount Sinai? All the laws were given there! Furthermore, Rashi quotes Chazal who tell us that God instructed Moshe Rabeinu to explain to the nation the reasons behind these laws. This is why the pasuk states, “... אשר תשים לפניהם/… that you will place before them.” Moshe Rabeinu was required to serve them the laws like food on a set table. Everything was to be understood and clear. Why was he instructed to explain specifically these laws? What about all the other laws in the Torah?

The Chiddushei HaRim explains that there is a tendency to attribute these rational laws to man’s logic. After all, these laws are good for society. Chazal tell us that these laws as well were given on Mount Sinai to teach us that the only reason the laws are logical to us is because God created logic as well. We usually do not think of logic as a creation. But, the Chiddushei HaRim says that this is exactly the point. The rational laws of the Torah only appear logical to us because that is the will of God. This is why Chazal make a point of telling us that these rational laws were given at Sinai, too. They are teaching us that the laws are only rational because that’s the will of God.

The Sfas Emes explains this further. Not only do we understand these laws as being rational because that is the way God created us. Even the rational laws have deep underlying spiritual meaning. We are able to connect and understand these deeper meanings only because Moshe Rabeinu placed these laws before us. Regarding this the Zohar explains the pasuk, “ברכו ה' מלאכיו גברי כח עשי דברו לשמע בקול דברו/Bless God, His angels, those mighty in strength, performers of His word, to hearken to the sound of His word.” This pasuk tells us that the angels were “עשי דברו/performers of His word.” When the nation of Israel said “נעשה ונשמע/We will do and we will listen,” we became “עשי דברו/performers of His word.” How so? The word “עשי דברו/performers of His word.” in this pasuk can also be translated as “makers of His word.” How do we make God’s word? The Zohar is teaching us that when we said that we will first do and then listen, God gave us the power to make His words come alive in this world. According to a person’s desire to understand the letters themselves will become alive to him and he will be able to constantly hear new and novel things from the very same words. This is the deeper meaning of “... אשר תשים לפניהם/… that you will place before them.” The Torah stresses that Moshe Rabeinu placed particularly these rational laws before us to teach us that even the rational laws to which this pasuk refers have very deep spiritual meanings. Moshe Rabeinu placed these laws before the nation so that they would be able, through their quest, to reach an understanding of the very deepest meanings of the laws.

The Holy Rav of Parshischa takes this concept a step further. He says that God was telling Moshe that they should place His laws before themselves and before their own lives. The Rav of Parshischa explains that the nation of Israel did this when we said that we would keep God’s decrees even before knowing what they were. Essentially, we trusted God completely and delivered ourselves into His hands.

Because of this mesirus nefesh, God granted us the ability to understand all the inner meanings of the Torah. In essence He gave us the power to make the Torah come alive by drawing out the inner meanings of the words of God. This is what Chazal meant when they explained the pasuk, “... אשרי תשים לפניהם/… that you will place before them.” God instructed Moshe Rabeinu to place the laws before them like a set table with food ready to be eaten. The laws can be understood on different levels. God commanded Moshe to set the laws before them so that they could merit the deepest understanding.

Moshe Rabeinu gave us all the inner meanings of the words of the Torah. However, it was given to us in a format which requires work on our part to unveil them. When a Jew works hard to understand God’s laws, he opens himself up to constant new understandings in the words of the Torah. A person can merit understanding new and different concepts each time he learns the same words of Torah. We can merit understanding the deeper will of God through the letters of the Torah.

This happens when we trust God completely and accept the words of the Torah even before understanding or knowing what they are. Then, the wellsprings of Torah open up for us. Certainly God does not limit these wellsprings to these specific laws. Rather, a Jew through learning the Torah can reach a deep understanding of all of God’s laws. The inner will of God will be revealed to him through the Torah. We can prepare, before beginning to learn, by taking a few moments to contemplate this. According to the intensity of our desire, we will find the truth in everything and we will not err, chas vesholom.

Yisro 5632 Third Ma'amar

In Tehillim, “... גִבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְבָרוֹ/… strong warriors who do His bidding, to hearken to the sound of His word.” It would seem that this pasuk is worded backwards. One needs to hearken to God’s word and understand what He requires of us in order to do His bidding. The pasuk says that the strong warriors do His bidding in order to hearken to his word. What does this mean?

We find the same construct when we accepted the Torah. Chazal praise the nation of Israel for saying, when offered the Torah, “... נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע/… We will do and we will listen.” Even before we knew what God required of us we committed to do. This requires an explanation, though. We certainly trusted in God and believed that He would not require us to do anything beyond our capabilities. We certainly knew that anything God would ask of us would be for our own benefit. Why the great praise, therefore, when we committed to comply with God’s commandments even before understanding them fully?

The Sfas Emes explains that while the simple meaning of listening to God’s word is understanding how to perform his commandments, it also implies something much deeper. God’s דִבּור/speech teaches us how to perform the commandments. However the קוֹל דְבָרוֹ/sound of his word implies a deeper understanding. We can relate to the speech of the words and we can related to the underlying sound of the speech. The underlying sound suggests the underlying spiritual meaning of the words. The Zohar makes this distinction between דִבּור/speech and קוֹל/sound as well when it refers to speech as components of sound [1] (i.e. sound is the כלל and speech is the פרט.)

At Mount Sinai we committed to comply with God’s commandments and we accepted the yoke of heaven upon us in order to merit hearing the sound of God’s voice within the commandments, as it were. By committing to perform the commandments we would merit understanding that would otherwise be impossible to attain. This is the reason we said, “נַעֲשֶה וְנִשְׁמָע /We will do and we will listen.” We committed to do in order to merit hearing (the underlying sound of God – understanding the inner meaning of the commandments.) This is also the reason the pasuk in Tehillim states first, “עֹשֵי דְבָרוֹ/do His bidding” and only afterwards, “לִשְמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְבָרוֹ/to hearken to the sound of His word.” By taking appropriate action the strong warriors would merit hearing the sound within His words; they would merit understanding the deeper meaning of their actions.


[1] For more detail on this Zohar and the relationship between קול/sound and דיבור/speech see the Sfas Emes on Shmos 5631 Second Ma’amar.

Also, for a fascinating discussion of this concept as it relates to the names of God, the Tetragrammaton and Adnus and the different sounds we are required to blow with the Shofar on Rosh HaShana see Ya’aros Devash Chelek 1 Derush 6.

Tu BiShvat - Chidushei HaRim

The Sfas Emes does not have a ma'amar dedicated to Tu BeShvat. The Chidushei HaRim, though, does. Unfortunately, I did not have time this week to translate it so I decided to post the original Hebrew, lezakos es harabim. Many thanks to hebrewbooks.org from whom I downloaded the Sefer HaZchus of the Chidushei HaRim. The poor quality of the text is a reflection of my technical ignorance. To see the text more clearly simply click on it and a clear version will open in a new window.

Happy Tu BeShvat and a Good Shabbos to all.

Beshalach 5631 First Ma'amar

God’s providence on every aspect of Creation became known and revealed to all when He split the Red Sea to save us and destroy the Egyptians. We know this from the following Midrash. The Midrash states on the pasuk, “נכון כסאך מאז מעולם אתה/Your throne is established from then; You are eternal,” that even though You are eternal, Your throne became established only at the time of אז/Then (an allusion to Shiras HaYam/The Song of the Sea which begins with the word אז/Then.) The Midrash explains that God’s throne becoming established means that His providence became known in the world.

When the children of Israel realized that everything, including their very actions and the actions of every creature, is enabled because of the Godliness within, they sang. So, the song that the children of Israel sang was not so much a thank you to God for having saved them. Rather it was a spontaneous outburst of praise upon the realization that God is in everything. The Midrash, in fact, states this explicitly, “As soon as they came to the sea and saw God’s strength, how He punishes the wicked and immersed the Egyptians in the sea, ‘'ויאמינו בה/They believed in God.’ In the merit of this belief, Ru'ach HaKodesh/the holy spirit rested upon them and they sang.” Clearly, the key to their singing was their belief in God’s providence.

For this reason the introduction to Shiras HaYam is in the future tense, “אז ישיר/Then they will sing,” rather than the past tense, “אז שר/Then they sang.” The song is not thanks for a one time event. Rather it is an ongoing praise of God’s direct providence in the world. This is why the first pasuk of Shiras HaYam refers to השירה הזאת/this song, an allusion to a specific already known praise that rises from each part of the Creation.

When we praise God, indicating our belief that God is the force that gives everything its existence, we influence all His creatures to sing. How does a creation sing? To understand this we need to define song. Song is the physical expression of a spiritual essence within. Each creation is unique, has a unique task, a unique spiritual essence and therefore sings its own unique song to the Creator. This is the meaning of Perek Shira/The Chapter of Song which comprises the songs that each creature sings to glorify God. When we are aware of God in the Creation, when we sing God’s praises, the Creation can be said to be singing, as well. We know this from the pasuk "כל פעל ה' למענהו .../God created everything for His praise.

Chazal inform us that King Chizkiyahu did not sing (praise to God.) This is why he did not become the Mashiach. The Chiddushei HaRim explains that Chizkiyahu did not sing because God’s Providence was so clear to him that he was not moved by miracles. Chizkiyahu saw clearly the miracle of God’s life force in nature. To Chizkiyahu there was absolutely no difference between natural and supernatural phenomena. As we’ve said, singing to God is an outburst of praise stemming from the realization that God’s Providence is behind all. To Chizkiyahu this was so obvious that he was not moved to sing praises to God about it.
For us, though, singing God’s praise is a result of that special “aha!” that happens when we realize that God is the source Who gives life to every thing, creature and action in this world enabling us and the entire creation to come close to Him.

Bo 5631 Second Ma'amar

The seventh plague came and went and Pharaoh still could not bring himself to let us leave Egypt. Imagine the exasperation! God said that there would be a redemption with signs and wonders and yet, we were still in Egypt. Pharaoh was being obstinate. Where was the promised redemption?

The first Midrash on the parsha explains that the we did not deserve the redemption. God had made us His own and instead of embracing God we angered Him by not renouncing idol worship. For this we deserved to be destroyed. (see Yechezkel 20:5-9) God redeemed us so that Pharaoh would not say that God destroyed them because he was unable to redeem them. In order to redeem us in spite of ourselves, God caused Pharaoh to be obstinate. As a result of Pharaoh’s obstinacy we were redeemed.

This is the meaning of a pasuk in Mishlei, “ כובד אבן ונטל החול וכעס אויל כבד משניהם/A stone has weight and sand has mass, but the anger of a fool is heavier than both.” The beginning of this pasuk refers to the nation of Israel. The Hebrew for weight has the same root as the Hebrew for honor. God honored the nation of Israel. We angered God, though. The end of the pasuk refers to Pharaoh. We could not be redeemed immediately on our own merit. So, God arranged a series of events whereby Pharaoh’s obstinacy would be his own undoing.

God explains this to Moshe Rabeinu at the beginning of our parsha, “בא אל פרעה כי אני הכבדתי את לבו .../Go to Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart …” The situation in Egypt does not seem promising for the nation of Israel. Pharaoh shows no sign of weakening his resolve to keep the Jews even after seven terrible plagues. God tells Moshe not to despair and not be concerned for it is He who has hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to be able to redeem the unworthy nation. What appears to be a cause for concern is actually the very thing that will permit the nation to be redeemed.

This is an important lesson for each of us when we find ourselves in a predicament and wonder where God is. Why isn’t He helping me? The lesson of Egypt teaches us not to despair in these situations. We can remember that God caused Pharaoh to be obstinate and continue the bondage in order to bring about the redemption. God is always helping us. In every situation He has our best interests in mind. Even if we do not understand how, we can understand that God arranges everything that happens to us for our own benefit.

Va'Eira 5631 Second Ma'amar

Why must we sometimes endure exile, distress and troubles? The fundamental reason for all exile on a national level and distress and troubles for each of us individually is so that we will recognize that it is God who is in control, not us. If we do not appreciate Him when things are going well for us, His answer is to hide from us and let us fend for ourselves, in a manner of speaking. Then, when things start to fall apart, we realize just how much we need Him. The Chidushei HaRim says that if a person would know for sure that God is the source of everything that happens, there would be no reason to conceal His presence.

We find this concept in the p’sukim at the beginning of this week’s parsha. After God asks Moshe to tell the children of Israel that He will take them out of Egyptian bondage, redeem them and take them unto Him as a nation, He promises, “... וידעתם כי אני ה' אלקיכם המוציא אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים/… You shall know that I am God, your Lord Who is extracting you from under the oppression of Egypt.” By the end of the Exodus it would be obvious that God orchestrated it.

The exile and exodus from Egypt is a lesson for all generations and for each of us on a personal level. When we realize that everything that happens to us is orchestrated by God, then the reason for the tribulations is removed and there is a redemption of sorts, reminiscent of our redemption from Egypt. It is for this reason that we are commanded to remember the Exodus every day. It is a reminder that it is not through our own efforts but rather by the grace of God that we are not slaves in Egypt today. The way out of difficult situations is by remembering this principle. To the extent that it becomes clear to us that God is in control, not us, we are able to extract ourselves from every difficult situation in which we find ourselves.
It is not necessary to wait until we are in distress. We can prevent difficulties as well by remembering this important lesson. This is the deeper meaning of Chazal’s requirement to remember the Exodus, “... כל ימי חייך/… all the days of your life.” The implication is that even during those days when you are truly living, because you are close to God, the source of life, you are required to remember that it is He who took you out of Egypt. By extension, we remember that it is He who orchestrates our good fortune as well as our distress. It is the deeper meaning behind the view that this requirement applies even in the days of Mashi’ach, certainly a good time for us. It is a time when Chazal tell us that the evil inclination does not rule. Still, we are required to remember, that if it were not for God’s mercy we would still be slaves in Egypt.

Only after the Exodus when we were no longer enslaved, were we able to accept upon ourselves the yoke of heaven. The Zohar explains that as long as a person has upon him a burden, he cannot accept the yoke of God. This is the reason a slave is exempt from the mitzvah of Kri’as Sh’ma. He is exempt from accepting the yoke of heaven upon himself because he is subject to the authority of his master. This also explains why we thank God in the second Brachah of Birchas HaMazon for both taking us out of Egypt and for redeeming us from the house of bondage. Besides taking us out of Egypt, removing the Egyptian yoke from us is worthy of thanks in and of itself. It allowed us to subsequently accept the yoke of heaven. We see this in the p’sukim at the beginning of our parsha. God takes us for His nation only after he redeems us from the oppressive yoke of Egypt.

This very same idea applies to each one of us any time we find ourselves in a distressful situation. In order to fully accept upon ourselves the yoke of heaven, we first need to be extracted from the situation. We do this by accepting that it is God who put us in the difficulty. He did this so that we may come to the realization that He is in complete control, not us. This recognition helps us to leave the distress behind and allows us to accept the yoke of heaven. God, in his mercy, has given us these tools so that each of us may experience his own personal Exodus every day. May we merit it!

Shemos 5631 First Ma'amar

“ ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה את יעקב .../These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Ya’akov …” The Sfas Emes explains the significance of the word שמות/names. He also explains why the Torah tells us that they came to Egypt with Ya’akov.

In Koheles we find, “טוב שם משמן טוב .../A (good) name is better than good oil …” The Midrash on this pasuk says that Chanania and Misha’el represent people with a good name. They were thrown into a fiery furnace and were saved. Nadav and Avihu represent good oil since as כהנים/priests they were anointed with the special anointing oil. They were killed by burning. Clearly, a good name is better than good oil. Why is this so? What is the significant difference between Chanania and Misha’el on the one hand and Nadav and Avihu on the other?

According to the Midrash good oil alludes to someone who, like Nadav and Avihu, receives his great stature from heaven. He did not work for it. He did not earn it. Nadav and Avihu were born into it. A good name, on the other hand, is the result of hard work. A person’s good reputation can be measured by how far it traveled. The greater his good reputation, the farther his name has traveled, the harder he worked to achieve it. The Midrash is teaching that a person’s received greatness will not save him but a person’s earned greatness will save him.

The children of Israel were not on the level of our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov. Our forefathers were above nature. They were connected to God and saw God in everything. The physical world was no barrier for them. Last week, in the first ma’amar on parshas VaYechi, the Sfas Emes explained why the Torah uses the word, ויחי/He lived, referring to Ya’akov’s stay in Egypt rather than the more usual וישב/He dwelt, or ויחי/He was. The Torah is stressing that Ya’akov “lived” in the ultimate sense of being attached to the Source of all life.

Ya’akov taught his children that even though they were not on his level, they could see God in everything, too, by working on their אמונה/belief. The key is to believe that God is in everything regardless of how things appear to be. Through hard work the Godly light within all of Creation became revealed to them. In this sense, their mission (and ours as well) was to reveal and spread the Godly enlightenment specifically within nature. This was their mission in Egypt.

Egypt was one of the most immoral places on Earth. A lot of hard work indeed was required to come to the realization that the physical reality of their surroundings was simply a screen masking the light of God. This is the deeper meaning of the “backbreaking work” that was required of the children of Israel in Egypt. Their revelation of God, was something that they earned through hard work.

The word שמות/names in the first pasuk of our parsha represents this hard work since it suggests the good name that results from hard work. The Torah makes a point of telling us, at the very beginning of their descent to Egypt, that through their hard work the children of Ya’akov reached a level of seeing the Godliness in the physical. This is why the Torah tells us that they came to Egypt with Ya’akov. They came with the spiritual level represented by Ya’akov.

This is the meaning of the Midrash which says, “God said, ‘The names of the tribes are more beloved to me than the anointing oil used to anoint priests and kings.” Their names represented their personal accomplishments. God loves personal achievement.

In our current exile as well, we have the ability, through אמונה/belief, to reveal the hidden Godliness in everything around us. The prophet Zechariah, referring to the redemption from this exile, said, “…On that day God will be One and His Name will be One.” The Zohar explains the significance of God being one and His name being one. God’s oneness is not affected by exile. However, in the exile His oneness is hidden. His Name being one refers to His revelation. When will His name be one? When will His oneness be revealed? When our אמונה/belief that God is hidden in everything including the exile is complete, He will be revealed. The essential definition of redemption is God revealing Himself just as the essential definition of exile is God’s concealment. When God is revealed, by definition the exile is over. May we merit it speedily!

Vayechi 5631 First Ma'amar

“ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים .../Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt ...” The Sfas Emes addresses two difficulties. Firstly, ויחי/He lived, is a strange choice of words. Usually when the Torah relates that someone lived in a specific place, it uses the word וישב/He dwelt. The Chidushei HaRim suggests that, ויהי/He was, would have been more appropriate than ויחי/He lived.

Secondly, in a sefer Torah, there is always a blank space between two parshas. VaYechi is the only parsha in the entire Torah which begins directly following the last word of the previous parsha with no break whatsoever. This is referred to as a closed parsha. Why is this?

Ya’akov Avinu is associated with the attribute of אמת/truth. The prophet Micha tells us, “תתן אמת ליעקב/Give truth to Ya’akov.” On the level of truth, God is revealed. On the level of truth exile does not exist since exile means that God hides Himself. Egyptian society was pagan and immoral. It was very difficult to see God in Egypt. By using the word ויחי/He lived, the Torah is telling us that even in decadent Egypt, Ya’akov “lived.” Living means to attach to the Source of all life. Chazal tell us that wicked people are considered dead even during their lives. This is because they have separated from God, the Source of life. Ya’akov “lived” even in Egypt. On the level of אמת/truth, it did not matter that he was in Egypt. God gives life to the immoral Egyptians, too. For Ya’akov, He was revealed even in Egypt. This is why the parsha starts with, “ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים .../Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt ...” instead of the more usual וישב יעקב/Yaakov dwelt.

But why is the parsha closed? Chazal tell us that Ya’akov wanted to reveal the end of days to his children. The end of days is a time when all exile comes to an end and God is revealed. The exile is a temporary screen behind which God hides Himself. Behind the screen of the exile and giving life to it (and to everything else) is the eternal Source of life. Ya’akov wanted to convey to his children that God is there even in Egypt. He wanted it to be clear to them, as it was clear to him, that God is everywhere, even in the exile. He wanted them to see the Godliness in Egypt just as he saw it. If Ya’akov had explained this to his children, though, they would have reached Ya’akov’s level of emes. God would have been revealed to them and there would have been no exile. Chazal in fact tell us that the bondage in Egypt only began after Ya’akov passed on. In God’s plan, the exile was necessary. So, although Ya’akov “lived,” the parsha was closed. He was not permitted to pass it on to his children.

However, Chazal tell us that Ya’akov was permitted to teach them that even if they could not see Godliness in the immoral and corrupt Egyptian civilization, they could believe that He was there. Belief that God was there when the reality of their surroundings was the immoral and pagan Egyptian culture required a lot of hard work. But, through אמונה/belief, they would be able to see the אמת/truth, that God is in the exile as well.

Believing that God is the source of all power in the world enables us to see Him in the world. The stronger our belief, the more God is revealed. Working to reach this high level of אמונה/belief enables us to find Godly enlightenment even where God is concealed.

VaYigash 5631 Second Ma'amar

“ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו אני יוסף העוד אבי חי ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו/Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him because they were shocked before him.” The Midrash says that in this pasuk Yosef rebuked his brothers and they were not able to answer because of the shame they felt. The Midrash compares this with God’s rebuke on the ultimate day of judgment, “אוי לנו מיום הדין אוי לנו מיום התוכחה/Woe is to us on the day of judgment; woe is to us on the day of rebuke.” If the brothers could not withstand Yosef’s admonishment, how will we be able to withstand the ultimate admonishment before the redemption. Is the Midrash’s comparison simply one of degrees of rebuke or is there a fundamental connection between Yosef’s chiding his brothers and God’s chastisement on the final day of judgment?

The Sfas Emes explains that the rebukes are fundamentally the same. To understand why, we need to understand why the brothers were ashamed. The Sfas Emes explains that the brothers were mistaken about Yosef himself. The Zohar tells us that Yosef was שומר הברית/keeper of the covenant. Conventionally, this refers to his overcoming the temptations presented to him by the wife of Potiphar. The covenant that he kept was the covenant of the circumcision.

In this world holiness is hidden by gross physicality. The removal of the foreskin represents an unveiling of the holiness that lies within the physical world. (See VaYeira 5632 First Ma’amar for a detailed discussion of this concept.) Yosef, as the keeper of the covenant, represents the holiness that is within the physical world. The brothers, because this was hidden, did not realize it. Once Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, when they were confronted with their mistake, they stood in shame.

At the ultimate redemption as well, it will be made clear for all to see that the physical world in which we live is replete with holiness. God gave us the physical world and our circumstances to use to accomplish God’s will thereby rectifying ourselves and our environment. Before the final redemption, when this fact becomes clear to us we will look back at our lives and wonder how we could have used the physical world for purposes that were at odds with God’s will. Realizing our mistake, we will stand in shame before God. This is why the Midrash compares Yosef’s rebuke and the rebuke on the final day of judgment. They are fundamentally the same.

We can prevent the rebuke and our resulting shame by internalizing the understanding that everything around us and everything that happens to us are tools that God gave us in order to use to accomplish His will and come close to Him. On the day of judgment we will be able to stand before God, not in shame, but proudly having used these tools for their fundamental and ultimate purposes. Amen.

VaYigash 5631 First Ma'amar

At the end of parshas Mikeitz, Yosef frames his younger brother Binyamin. He decides that as a punishment he will keep Binyamin as a servant and free the rest of his brothers. In the beginning of our parsha, Yehudah tries to convince Yosef to take him instead of Binyamin. To this end he recounts the sequence of events from the brothers’ initial encounter with Yosef to the present.

The question that immediately presents itself is that Yehudah’s argument adds nothing that is not already known. He simply recounts the events leading up to the current situation. What is the point of this?

To answer this question it will help to first understand the fundamental difference between Yosef and Yehudah in their approach to serving God. In the second ma’amar of parshas VaYeishev 5631 the Sfas Emes explains, in the name of his grandfather the Chidushei HaRim that Yosef and Yehudah are archetypes of different kinds of tzadikim. Yosef was completely dedicated to God. In this sense, he was removed from the mundane. Yosef saw the Godliness that gives life to everything physical. In fact, the Sfas Emes tells us that Yosef actually represents this hidden Godliness. The Torah calls him the most consecrated of his brothers (Breishis 49:26). Yehudah, on the other hand, revealed the holiness in the mundane. The Torah tells us, regarding Yehudah, “May God hear Yehudah’s voice and bring him to his people.” (Devarim 33:7) The Chidushei HaRim understands this as an allusion to Yehudah bringing God to His people.

There are tzadikim who do not have many followers. They are very holy and removed from the world around them. This is Yosef’s approach. On the other hand, there are tzadikim who have many followers. Their work is in influencing as many people as possible. They bring holiness into the mundane. This is Yehudah’s approach.

What did Yehudah gain by simply rehashing the recent events? The Chidushei HaRim explains that Jews are called Yehudim in Hebrew, after Yehudah. The name Yehudah comes from the root word hoda’a which means “thanks” and “admission.” Jews are called Yehudim because we thank God for everything, large and small. We know that everything comes from Him.

Yehudah understood that everything, even the most difficult situation, is from God. Yehudah knew that to be saved he would have to approach the level of Yosef. On this level he was able to approach Yosef, who represented the actual Godliness hidden in this world. The way he raised himself to Yosef’s level was by repeating the sequence of events leading to the present difficult situation, admitting and accepting, at each step, that it was all from God. The hidden Godliness within the events was thus revealed. The greatest good we can aspire to, is coming close to God himself. Therefore, revelation itself is redemption. That is why immediately following Yehudah’s argument, the Torah tells us that Yosef was no longer able to contain himself and he revealed himself to his brothers. Once the Godliness was revealed, the brothers were saved.

The Torah is teaching us an important lesson. Any time we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we have the tools with which to save ourselves. We need to first understand that God is hidden in even the most difficult circumstances. Even if a person thinks that his own mistakes caused his current situation, (the Torah tells us that Yosef’s brothers blamed themselves for their predicament) when he recognizes that God is the life giving force behind his predicament and asks God for help, he will be answered.

Mikeitz 5631 End of Second Ma'amar

It is possible that Pharaoh’s dreams were also meant to prepare Yosef for the coming exile. In fact, the Midrash tells us that in the merit of Yosef, we were stringent regarding illicit relations, no mean feat in decadent Egypt. The Midrash says that this is one of the qualities we exhibited to be worthy of redemption.

Yosef represented the ability to find enlightenment even from within the spiritual concealment which typified ancient Egypt. Yosef is referred to as שומר הברית/shomer habris/keeper of the covenant. Conventionally this is a reference to his overcoming the temptation presented to him by his master Potiphar’s wife. However, when we think about the fundamental definition of a covenant we come to realize that this concept has broader applications. A covenant defines a relationship. It is the point at which two people or entities connect. In the case of the relationship between God and the Creation the point of connection is the spiritual essence that God sent into the physical Creation to give it life and existence. This spiritual essence is the sign that there is a relationship between the Creation and God. Accordingly, Yosef was a שומר הברית/shomer habris/keeper of the covenant in the sense that he connected to God by concentration on the spiritual essence of everything he did. He did this by subjugating his own desires before God’s in everything he did. This quality of Yosef was necessary to ameliorate the effects of the exile in Egypt. Indeed, the Midrash says that the exile of Egypt began only when we stopped keeping the covenant. When we stopped keeping the covenant, a new king arose in Egypt who decreed new decrees. The plain meaning of the Midrash refers to the covenant of circumcision. According to the Sfas Emes, though, the deeper meaning of the Midrash hints to the covenant defining our relationship with God.

This aspect of Yosef is a useful tool to help us find spiritual enlightenment not only in exile but also in any situation which is not ideally conducive to this. For example, it can be applied to lighting up our weekdays in spite of our daily distractions. How do we do this? Most of our actions during the week are spiritually neutral. In conventional terms we would not consider them to be mitzvos. We eat. We go to work. We relate to our spouses and family. However, depending upon our intent in the course of our daily activities, we have the ability to transform everything that we do into a mitzvah. Our intent enables us to find the spiritual essence hiding within every physical activity. The Sfas Emes explains that by subordinating our own desires and thinking instead about raising ourselves spiritually and coming close to God, we can all find the spiritual essence within everything we do.

The Sfas Emes explains this spiritual essence, its concealment and revelation, in terms of the days of the week and Shabbos. The concept of Shabbos is a revelation of the spiritual that is within the physical. By contemplating our actions beforehand we can find this concept during the week as well. The difference between Shabbos and the weekdays is that during the week finding this spirituality requires work whereas on Shabbos it is much easier if we are open to it.

We see this concept in a pasuk in Yechezkel referring to the third Beis HaMikdash, “שער החצר הפנימית הפונה קדים יהיה סגור ששת ימי המעשה וביום השבת יפתח וביום החדש יפתח/Sha’ar hechatzeir hapenimis haponeh kadim yehiyeh sagur sheishes yemei hama’aseh uvayom haShabbos yepasei’ach uveyom hachodesh yepasei’ach/The inner courtyard gate that faces east will be closed during the six workdays but on Shabbos it will be opened and on Rosh Chodesh it will be opened.” The gates of the temple opening and closing connote spiritual gates opening and closing. On Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh there is a spiritual revelation that we don’t find naturally during the week. According to the Sfas Emes, this pasuk is not only referring to the day of Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh. It is referring to the concept of spiritual revelation exemplified by Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh. In this sense, we can experience an aspect of Shabbos during the week as well.

We’ve seen that experiencing the concept of Shabbos entails contemplating coming close to God through our daily activities. What is the concept of Rosh Chodesh? Rosh Chodesh represents renewal. The Sfas Emes explains that Rosh Chodesh represents faith that in nature there is a continuous renewal of the continuing existence of the Creation.

Living our lives within the natural world, it is easy to become lulled into thinking that there is no renewal at all. Our observation of nature leads us to this conclusion. Today is the same as yesterday and yesterday was the same as the day before. Shlomo HaMelech wrote in Koheles, “אין כל חדש תחת השמש/Ein kol chadash tachas hashemesh/There is nothing new under the sun.” “Under the sun” is a metaphor for the natural world. Shlomo HaMelech is making our point. He is teaching us that within the natural world there is no indication of renewal. The inference is that “above the sun” – outside of nature – there is renewal. The Sfas Emes explains this as an allusion to the aspect of Shabbos that represents subordination to God’s will and the aspect of Rosh Chodesh that represents faith in continuous renewal. These are certainly qualities that transcend the natural world around us.

The idea of “שומר הברית/shomer habris/keeper of the covenant” includes both these concepts. When we desire to do God's will in our everyday activities and cultivate an understanding that because of the continuous renewal of the Creation, each moment is an opportunity to renew ourselves, we are emulating Yosef. This is a powerful tool. Applying it can transform our lives.

Chanukah 5631 First Night

The pasuk in Mishlei states, “... נר מצוה ותורה אור .../… neir mitzvah veSorah or…/… a commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light …” Just as the oil, wick and light need a lamp to hold them, so too, the light of the Torah needs a vessel to contain it. The vessel that holds the light of the Torah in this world is the mitzvos. The Zohar explains that Shlomo HaMelech associated mitzvos with a lamp because we perform the mitzvos with our 248 limbs with love of God and fear of Heaven. Two hundred forty eight limbs + love of God + fear of Heaven = 250 which is the gematria of neir/lamp. The Zohar is teaching us that we can rectify our deeds and limbs in this world by imbuing them with the light of the Torah. We do this by performing the mitzvos. Each mitzvah holds a unique aspect of the spiritual light of the Torah. When we do a specific mitzvah we draw the unique spiritual force associated with it into the physical world.

This concept applies not only to the 613 mitzvos mentioned in the Torah. It also applies to those mitzvos that were instituted by Chazal including, of course, the mitzvah of lighting candles on Chanukah. What is the unique spiritual force triggered by the mitzvah of Chanukah lights? The Chiddushei HaRim explains that the mitzvah of lighting candles on Chanukah contains the spiritual enlightenment of the original miracle of the menorah in the Beis HaMikdash on the first Chanukah. Lighting the Chanukah candles draws the enlightenment of the original miracle once again into the world. In fact, the Tur Shulchan Aruch writes that we light Chanukah candles in order להזכיר/lehazkir/to mention the miracle. Notice that he does not write, “in order לזכור/lizkor/to remember the miracle.” The nuance is not as apparent in English but in Hebrew, these two words are actually two forms of the same verb. להזכיר/lehazkir/to mention is a stronger form of לזכור/lizkor/to remember. It implies an action that is being done to the object of the verb.[1] Since the object of the verb here is the miracle, the Tur is telling us that by lighting the Chanukah candles we are bringing to light the actual original miracle. Lighting the Chanukah candles is not merely a way of remembering the original miracle. By lighting the candles we are triggering the same latent spiritual force that caused the original miracle (i.e. bringing it to life.)

This is why the prayer that we say after lighting the candles starts with the words, “הנרות הללו קודש הם/HaNeiros halalu kodesh heim/These candles are holy.” Generally, the objects that we use to perform mitzvos (e.g. lulav, matzah) are not considered holy. They may be tossed once they are no longer needed. The same principle should apply to the lights of Chanukah. Yet, the prayer states that they are holy. Why? According to the Chiddushei HaRim, though, it is clear. They are holy because they contain the spiritual force of the original miracle.

This explains the language of the brachah that Chazal instituted before lighting the Chanukah lights. We say, “להדליק נר חנוכה/lehadlik neir Chanukah/to kindle the Chanukah lamp.” We don’t say, “להדליק נר בחנוכה /lehadlik neir beChanukah/to kindle a lamp on Chanukah.” The language of the brachah suggests the original Chanukah lamp. Performing the mitzvah activates the spiritual force of the original Chanukah menorah.

This concept helps us understand a puzzling halachah about the Chanukah lights. A person who sees Chanukah lights is required to say the blessing, “שעשה נסים לאבותינו/she’asah nisim la’avoseinu/who made miracles for our forefathers” even if he himself does not light. Generally one is required to say this blessing upon seeing the place where a miracle occurred either to him or his forefathers. Why do Chazal require us to say this particular blessing upon seeing Chanukah lights? According to what we’ve said, though, it is clear. Since the Chanukah lights contain the spiritual force of the original miracle, seeing the Chanukah lights is akin to seeing the actual place of the miracle. This is why Chazal required the blessing usually reserved for seeing the place the miracle occurred.

Each of us has the ability to release the spiritual force of the original miracle of the menorah by lighting Chanukah candles. Our very souls are intimately connected with the mitzvos. A clear awareness of the spiritual effect of our physical action strengthens that spiritual effect. Contemplating this concept while lighting the Chanukah lights is the best way to draw the spiritual force inherent in the mitzvah into the world.

[1] Other examples: לשמוע/lishmo’a/to listen and להשמיע/lehashmi’a/to make others listen; לחתום/lachtom/to sign and להחתים/lehachtim/to sign up others. The first is more passive whereas the second means the person is doing something to the verb’s object.

Vayishlach 5631 First Ma'amar

“וַיִּשְׁלַח יַעֲקֹב מַלְאָכִים לְפָנָיו אֶל-עֵשָׂו אָחִיו .../Ya’akov sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esav …” (Breishis 32:4) The word מַלְאָכִים/messengers also means angels. The Midrash tells us that the messengers Ya’akov Avinu sent to Esav were actual angels.[1] Why did Ya’akov send angels to meet Esav?

To answer this question we must understand what angels signify. Chazal teach us that we create an angel each time we do a mitzvah.[2] The angels that Ya’akov sent to Esav represented Ya’akov’s mitzvos. Why did Ya’akov feel compelled to send his “mitzvah angels” to Esav? Angels are the vehicle through which God directs nature.[3] Our mitzvos affect nature. The means by which our mitzvos affect nature is through the angels that our mitzvos create.

Meeting Esav and, for that matter, traveling to Lavan represent Ya’akov entering and interacting with the physical world. Ya’akov himself was on a level above nature. He connected to God without the need for mitzvos and their effects (i.e. the angels). However, when he lowered himself into the physical world he needed the mitzvos and their power to affect the physical world around him and to bring him close to God even from within the natural world. This idea is clear in a pasuk in Tehillim (91:11), “כִּי מַלְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה-לָּךְ לִשְׁמָרְךָ בְּכָל-דְּרָכֶיךָ/For He will command His angels on your behalf to guard you in all your ways.” The angels/mitzvos will protect you as you move through the material world.

We see this concept clearly in the relationship between Shabbos and the days of the week. On Shabbos the physical world automatically becomes closer to its spiritual roots. In fact, Shabbos as a concept represents this connectedness to the spiritual. This is why Ya’akov who was on a level above nature in his connectedness to God, represents an aspect of Shabbos. We have the ability to reach this spiritual level during the week as well but it requires work. It requires a high level of mitzvah observance. In fact, the Sfas Emes explains that the pasuk “שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל-מְלַאכְתֶּךָ/Six days shall you labor and accomplish all your work” (Shmos 20:9,10) refers specifically to the mitzvos. Significantly the word מַלְאָךְ/angel has the same root as the word מְלָאכָה/work. We spend the days of the week doing מְלָאכָה/work (i.e. mitzvos) to create מַלְאָכִים/angels.

In order to interact with Esav representing the physical world, Ya’akov Avinu had to send his מַלְאָכִים/messengers, his mitzvos, which affect the physical world, to afford him protection. We learn from Ya’akov Avinu that each of us has the ability to immerse and act in the physical world, really to use the physical world, to come close to God. We are intimately connected with the way the world works both spiritually and physically. The Zohar says that our 613 limbs and tendons – 248 limbs and 365 tendons – parallel 613 specific spiritual forces in the world.[4] There are also 613 mitzvos in the Torah – 248 positive mitzvos and 365 negative mitzvos. Each time we do a mitzvah, we rectify that part of the Creation associated with the specific limb and activate that spiritual force that conforms to that mitzvah. We create an “angel.” In this way we remove God’s concealment and come close to Him from within the physical world.

Spiritually, Ya’akov Avinu’s successful return from Lavan and Esav represents an ascent from a level of weekday work to a level of Shabbos. This is why the Midrash in this week’s parsha explains that Ya’akov Avinu entered the land of Israel and came to Shechem on Erev Shabbos.[5] He prepared for Shabbos and kept it before it was given. This is also the reason the pasuk says, “וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב שָׁלֵם עִיר שְׁכֶם .../Ya’akov came safely to the city of Shechem …” (Breishis 33:18) שָׁלֵם/Safely also means “whole.” His successful return from Esav and Lavan represents a spiritual completeness. It also suggests Shabbos as the Zohar says that Shabbos is שָׁלוֹם/peace[6] which has the same root as שָׁלֵם/complete. As Ya’akov, may we merit connecting to God through the mitzvos even as we live and work within the physical world.



[1] Breishis R. 75:4
[2] Zohar Chadash 57a and 92a; also see Avos 4:13
[3] See Breishis R. 10:6 - There is no blade of grass that does not have a spiritual force telling it to grow.
[4] Zohar 1:134b
[5] Breishis R. 79:6
[6] Zohar 3:176b