Noach 5632 First Ma'amar

"אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק ... /These are the offspring of Noach, Noach was a righteous man …" (Breishis 6:9)  We would expect "These are the offspring" to be followed by a list of the offspring.  Here, it is followed by a description of Noach's righteousness.  The Midrash[1], quoted by Rashi on this pasuk, addresses this and explains that the primary "offspring" of the righteous are their good deeds.  This, too, needs an explanation.  Why are the good deeds of the righteous called their "offspring"?

To answer this question we must first gain a deeper understanding of good deeds and how they affect the world.  Each morning we say, "הַמְחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל יּוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית/In His goodness, He renews each and every day the workings of the Creation."  The Chiddushei HaRim (in the name of the Rav of P'shischa) explains that the word "בְּטוּבוֹ/in His goodness", is a reference to the Torah which is called "good" as Chazal learn from the pasuk, "כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם .../For I have given you a good teaching …" (Mishlei 4:2)  Accordingly, we can translate the morning prayer as, "With His Torah, He renews each and every day the workings of Creation."

What is the connection between the Creation and the Torah?  The Zohar[2] teaches that God created the world with the Torah.  The Sfas Emes explains that when God said the ten utterances of the first chapter of Breishis, the spiritual power of those words effected the Creation.  Furthermore, it is that spiritual power that continues to permeate the Creation and keep it in existence.  So, with His goodness – the spiritual power of the Torah – God continuously renews the Creation.

Chazal[3] teach us that the righteous sustain the world that was created with the ten utterances."  How do they do this?  Just as the physical world exists because it has spiritual underpinnings, our physical actions as well are only possible because of the spiritual power that underlies them.  When a tzadik acts, his intent is totally on the spiritual component of his action, the source of which is the same ten utterances Breishis that keep the world in existence.  His intent is to reveal the spiritual inherent in his physical actions.  This is why his actions are called "good".  Their source is the spiritual power of the Torah.  

When the tzadik reveals the spiritual through his "good" deeds, he influences the world around him so that the wonders of God can be recognized in it.  This is the meaning of the pasuk, "מָה רַב־טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר־צָפַנְתָּ לִּירֵאֶיךָ .../ How great is Your goodness that You have laid away for those who fear You." (Tehillim 31:20)  Through the tzadik's actions, a revelation of God's "goodness", the spiritual power that underlies everything including our actions expands to include the tzadik's surroundings.

Revealing the Godliness that is inherent in the physical world around us affects the physical world in a very positive way, releasing shefa/abundance and renewal into the world.  The righteous actually strengthen the spiritual that is the source of abundance.  This is what Chazal are referring to when they say that the "offspring" of the righteous are his good deeds.  It is the renewal and abundance, the positive affect the tzadik's good deeds have on the world that are his offspring.

Chazal[4] teach us that the wicked destroy the world that was created with the ten utterances.  As opposed to the righteous, their deeds weaken the spiritual that is the source of existence.  For the ten generations between Adam and Noach, this ability to reveal the spiritual source of the physical world was all but forgotten.  The spiritual was weakened to the point at which the world could not continue to exist.  It was exactly at this point that God said, "... קֵץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי .../… The end of all flesh has come before Me …" (Breishis 6:13)  The spiritual power that underlies the Creation was no longer powerful enough to sustain life.

Noach the righteous was able to return the life-force and renew the world.  It is this entire new world, then, that is his offspring.

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[1] Tanchuma Noach 2

[2] Zohar 1:5a Introduction

[3] Avos 5:1

[4] Avos 5:1

Succos 5634 Fifth Ma'amar

Each of the three holidays, Pesach, Shavuos and Succos relates to a different aspect of serving God.  Pesach is associated with serving God by controlling our physical desires.  Shavuos is related to the spiritual, uplifting our souls and Succos relates to serving God with things that are not inherently a part of ourselves such as our assets.

On Pesach, the holiday that commemorates our redemption from Egypt, we were also redeemed from our evil inclination.[1]  Shavuos, the day on which we received the Torah, our souls were uplifted.  Chazal[2] teach us that our souls were in fact so uplifted at the actual receiving of the Torah that when we heard God speak, our souls left our bodies.  Chazal learn this from the pasuk in Shir HaShirim (5:6), "... נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ .../… my soul departed at His word …"  On Succos we leave our homes and live for seven days in a temporary structure[3] in order to teach us to rely upon God instead of our wealth.

The Sfas Emes sees a hint to these approaches to serving God in the pasuk, "וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶךָ/You shall love God, your Lord, with your entire heart, with your entire soul, with all your wealth." (Devarim 5:5)  Each of the three ways we are enjoined to love God, with our hearts, souls and wealth, parallels one of the holidays:

בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ/With your entire heart – The letter "ב" appears twice in the word for heart, an apparent redundancy.  Chazal learn from the extra letter that we are to serve God with both our good and our evil inclination, both of which reside in the heart.  This parallels Pesach, the holiday on which we were freed from our evil inclination.

בְכָל־נַפְשְךָ/With your entire soul – This parallels Shavuos, the day on which our souls were uplifted.

בְכָל־מְאֹדֶךָ/With all your wealth – This relates to Succos since it is on Succos that we leave the apparent security of our homes to dwell in a hut. 

In the same vein, the Sfas Emes notes another connection between the holiday of Succos and our wealth.  During the nation's forty year sojourn in the desert after leaving Egypt, Chazal teach us that we were protected from the elements by the "clouds of glory".  There is a school amongst Chazal[4] that holds that our succah commemorates these clouds of glory.  There is another school that holds that our succah commemorates actual huts that our forebears used in the desert.[5]  The clouds of glory and wealth have similar characteristics.  Both provide us with security.  Significantly, both are external to ourselves.[6]  Both are extraordinary displays of God's love for us.

The Chiddushei HaRim related the three holidays, Pesach, Shavuos and Succos to the three negative character attributes, envy, lust and desire for honor.  Envy relates to our physical bodies, lust to the spiritual and honor is external to us.  The Sfas Emes explains:

Envy - Pesach relates to overcoming the physical barrier that separates us from God.  When we envy what someone else has or has achieved we are strengthening that barrier.  Envy affects our physical bodies, "... וּרְקַב עֲצָמוֹת קִנְאָה/... and envy causes rotting bones." (Mishlei 14:30) 

Lust - Shavuos relates to uplifting the soul.  Lust, as well, relates to the soul.  When we overcome our lusts, our soul is positively affected is uplifted.[7] 

Honor - Finally, Succos is the holiday on which we display our trust in God rather than in our physical assets.  Honor, like our assets, is external to ourselves.  It is not an inherent part of us.

God gave us the holidays as tools to help us to come near to Him.  Each holiday has a unique motif in this regard.  The motif of Succos is serving God through those things that are not inherently part of us such as honor and our assets.  The first step is to realize that honor and our assets are not a part of us and do not define us.  The second step is to not allow respect or the lack of it, physical wealth or the lack of it affect us.  How?  By cultivating the belief that it is not respect from others or physical wealth that provides us with security, and happiness.  Rather it is God who provides us and everyone with all our needs.  

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[1] Whenever there is a Divine revelation, the evil inclination is necessarily weakened.  See this ma'amar of the Sfas Emes on Pesach for more on this.

[2] Shabbos 88b

[3] Succah 2a

[4] Sifra 17:11

[5] Interestingly, it is the former school that is brought in the Halacha.  In fact, in order to perform the mitzvah of dwelling in the Succah properly, we are required to consciously intend to dwell in the Succah as a commemoration of the clouds of glory. (S.A. Orach Chayim 625:1 and Mishna Berurah ibid. 1)

[6] Regarding wealth being external to ourselves the Maharal writes a fascinating commentary on the Mishna in Avos which asks, "Who is wealthy?" and answers, "He who is happy with his portion."  Why is this the appropriate answer?  Why is the answer not some measure of physical wealth?  The Maharal answers that Chazal are teaching us characteristics of people that are inherent.  Physical wealth, however, is external to a person, here today, gone tomorrow, and can therefore not be the correct answer.  That physical wealth is external to us is exactly what the Sfas Emes is teaching us here.

[7] See Mishlei (13:19), "תַּאֲוָה נִהְיָה תֶעֱרַב לְנָפֶשׁ/Lust broken is sweet to the soul."  The Vilna Gaon explains that one who overcomes his lusts, even though he is in pain during the test, afterwards he is very satisfied.  It is "sweet to his soul."

קַוֵּה אֶל־ה' חֲזַק וְיַאֲמֵץ לִבֶּךָ וְקַוֵּה אֶל־ה׳/Hope to God; strengthen yourself and He will give your heart courage, and hope to God. (Tehillim 27:14)

Introductory Note:  The Sfas Emes wrote a commentary on Tehillim that was republished a few years ago.  The following was taken from that commentary.

Chazal understand "hope" in this pasuk as referring to prayer.  They learn from the repetition, "If a person sees that he prayed and was not answered he should pray again …" (Brachos 32b)  Why does David HaMelech assume that a person will be answered if he prays for the same thing a second time when he was not answered the first time?  What has changed?

The Sfas Emes learns the answer from the seemingly extra word that Chazal use.  They say, "If a person sees that he prayed …"  Why not say simply, "If a person's prayer was not answered …"?  Many times "seeing" means "understanding".  Someone whose prayer is not answered is forced to take a step back and consider what it is that God wants of him.  Thinking about prayer, we come to the conclusion that we pray to God because we are unable to answer our prayers ourselves.  Praying is a declaration of our inadequacies.  It forces us to humility. 

The Sfas Emes explains that a person's prayers are not answered because he has not internalized this humility.  God has not answered his prayers to help him realize his own lowliness, inadequacy and dependence.  When a person sees and understands this, the nature of his prayers change.

The answer to the question then, affords us a fundamental understanding of the purpose of prayer.  God obviously has no need for our prayers.  The purpose of prayer is for us to realize that we are not in charge.  Turning to God and asking for that which we lack is a clear declaration that we do not have the answer to our prayer and can only get it from Him.

The pasuk teaches us this process.  First, we ask God to fulfill our needs.  If we "see" that we are not answered, this is a sure sign that we are not sufficiently humble.  We need to strengthen ourselves from "courage of the heart" which the Sfas Emes understands as referring to arrogance and realize that our hearts are not independent rather they are dependent upon prayer.  Once we've internalized this concept, we return to pray again.

The holy Rav Dov Ber, the Mezzeritcher Maggid said a similar idea.[1]  Sometimes stray thoughts enter our minds while we are praying.  We have not invited these thoughts.  They seem to have come on their own and they have pushed us away from God, as it were.  When a person realizes that he is no longer "with God", he needs to turn back to God and pray more fervently and with more humility.  God promises that He will be with this person (allow the person to experience closeness to Him.)

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[1] Likutei Amarim 69 (Kehot 5764)

Yom Kippur 5645 Second Ma'amar

The Torah states that Yom Kippur is an everlasting statute to atone for our sins, "כִּי־בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם .../For on this day He shall atone for you to purify you from all your sins …" (VaYikra 16:30)  Chazal[1] teach us that the three synonyms the Torah uses for sin refer to different types of transgressions.  פֶּשַׁע refers to sins whose motivation is rebellion against God.  עָוֹן refers to sins committed with intent and חַטָאת refers to sins committed in error.  Why does this pasuk that explains the very reason for Yom Kippur refer only to those sins that are committed unwittingly?  Surely Yom Kippur atones for all types of sins.  In fact, the high priest mentions all three types of transgressions in his confessions.

We can come to an answer to this question from two ma'amarim of Reish Lakish that appear to contradict each other.[2]  Reish Lakish said that repentance is so great that it causes sins that were committed with intent to be treated as sins committed in error.  Reish Lakish also said that repentance is so great that it causes sins that were committed with intent to be treated as good deeds!  Are sins for which we repented treated as errors or as good deeds?  The Gemara answers that it depends upon how the sinner repented.  If he repented because of love of God, then even his transgressions are treated as good deeds.  If, however, he repented out of fear, then his transgressions are treated as sins that were committed in error.

The Sfas Emes explains that since the pasuk explaining the reason for Yom Kippur refers only to sins committed unwittingly, it must be that Yom Kippur atones only if we repent as well.[3]  Even the lower level of repentance causes sins to be treated as no worse than errors.  So, after repentance we are left only with sins committed in error.  The pasuk tells us that Yom Kippur atones for these.

This also explains why we say the following pasuk on Yom Kippur, "וְנִסְלַח לְכָל־עַדת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכָם כִּי לְכָל־הָעָם בִּשְׁגָגָה/The entire community of the children of Israel and the alien residing among them shall be forgiven because the entire nation was in error." (BaMidbar 15:26)  This pasuk is referring to a korban chattas.  This type of sacrifice is brought only for transgressions committed in error.  Why then, do we mention it on Yom Kippur, seemingly out of context?

According to what the Sfas Emes has taught us though, it is clear.  We say this pasuk to express our conviction that everyone repents at least out of fear if not out of love.  Therefore, the entire nation is left only with transgressions committed in error.  For these, Yom Kippur atones.  May we merit it!

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[1] Yoma 36b

[2] Yoma 86b

[3] Yoma 85a, The Mishna there states explicitly that Yom Kippur needs our repentance to atone.  However, Rebbi Yehuda HaNassi holds that Yom Kippur alone atones for our sins even if we do not repent.  Interestingly, the conclusion of the Yerushalmi on this Mishna (8:7) is that Rebbi, too, holds that Yom Kippur only atones with our repentance.

Rosh HaShanah 5632 First Ma'amar

There is an ancient custom to eat specific fruits and vegetables on the night of Rosh HaShanah.[1]  Each  food represents some specific thing that we want for the coming year.[2]  When contemplating this custom one is struck by the difference between the custom and the actual prayers of Rosh HaShanah.  Whereas the foods that we customarily eat represent the requests that we would ask of God, the actual prayers do not even contain a hint of these requests.  Why not simply insert the requests into the prayers?

The reason we do not find requests in the Rosh HaShanah prayers is because the Zohar says that we do not ask for material things on Rosh HaShanah.[3]  The thrust of the Rosh HaShanah prayers is to attain a closer relationship with God.  We ask that God should place His awe upon all His works.  We ask that He rule over us directly instead of through intermediaries.  We want to come close to Him.  On Rosh HaShanah we proclaim His kingship over all.  This, rather than personal requests is the theme of the Rosh HaShanah prayers.

Since requests for material things are purposely omitted from the Rosh HaShanah prayers, why is it permitted to ask in the form of a symbol?  The Sfas Emes explains.  The reason God created things with symbolic meaning is in order to use them in our service to Him.  The Zohar calls this "remiza dechachmesa/hint of wisdom."[4]  We can look at every thing and find in it a hint, a symbol, that points to serving God.  In fact, the symbolic meaning could well be the main reason for their existence.  Using symbols to ask for material things points to this concept.  To the extent we want the material things to help us to better serve God, we are permitted to ask for our material needs through the symbolism of the foods.  After all, the very existence of these foods is intertwined with what they symbolize.

On Rosh HaShanah, God gives the Creation new life for another year.  How can we partake of the blessing that God bestows upon the Creation?  The key lies in our intention when we accept the life (and all the things) that God gives us.  We receive according to our intention to use what we are given to serve Him.  May we merit intending to use everything God gives us to better serve Him!

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[1] Horiyos 12a

[2]  For example, we eat leek because in Hebrew the word for leek is karti which has the same root as the word for cutting down.  We say that this should be a sign that God will cut down our enemies.  The Amora Abayei is the source of this custom.  It is based on the principle that symbols have significance (simana milsa hi). 

[3] Tikunei Zohar 6:22a

[4] Zohar 1:219b; 3:158b